Data Center Debate Splits Trump-Era Right

Resistance to new data centers, once largely a left-leaning issue, is now dividing the political right that helped elect former President Donald Trump. Tech-right advocates such as David Sacks, co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and former “AI czar,” argue that limiting data-center construction will cause the United States to lose the artificial-intelligence race, especially after a recent Chinese AI model demonstrated strong performance. At the same time, community-focused critics—including Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon—highlight local environmental and privacy concerns, noting proposals for facilities along the Shenandoah River.

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White House deputy chief of staff James Blair shifted the focus to electricity providers, stating that “the problem is people who are supposed to provide power generation to Kevin’s area.” Blair’s comment, posted on X, underscores the administration’s view that energy-supply constraints, rather than the data centers themselves, drive opposition. Gallup data from May found that 56 % of Democrats and 39 % of Republicans “strongly opposed” a data center near their homes, indicating bipartisan unease.

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The Bull Moose Project, a populist-conservative group led by Aiden Buzzetti, introduced a proposal that would let the Department of Energy enforce voluntary power-supply agreements between tech firms and utilities. Unlike Rep. Gabe Evans’s (R-CO) earlier bill, the Bull Moose plan does not mandate construction but seeks to codify the Trump administration’s pledge that companies either build or purchase the needed electricity.

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Conservative commentators have attacked the protests organized by Humans First, an anti-AI group founded by former Tea Party leader Amy Kremer. Critics label the organization a “leftist con job” allegedly funded by Silicon Valley. Tucker Carlson has further warned that Trump’s support for data centers “abets” increased surveillance of Americans.

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• “The people there feel like something is being taken from them. They’re not anti-free market,” — Roberts

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• “I’m with those people who are skeptics who also want to have the win-win so that we can continue to reap the benefits of this great technology,” — Roberts

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• “The problem is people who are supposed to provide power generation to Kevin’s area,” — Blair, house deputy chief

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• “These are not really talking points that were standard a year ago, and they’re rapidly proliferating because that’s the only way to retain any kind of positive case for developing these things,” — Buzzetti

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