AOC Suggests AI Data Center at Mar-a-Lago After Trump Labels Opponents “Backwards and Poor”

Progressive Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) responded to President Donald Trump’s claim that communities opposing AI data centers are “backwards and poor” by joking that a data center should be built at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. She made the remark during a conversation with MeidasTouch host Pablo Manríquez on Capitol Hill.

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President Trump posted on Truth Social that the only reason any U.S. He framed the issue as part of a broader effort to win the AI race against China, later noting that Chinese leaders “could not be happier” with U.S. resistance to data-center projects.

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Florida already hosts a data center operated by Cloud South less than two miles from Mar-a-Lago. In the preceding month, Palm Beach County commissioners voted against a separate AI data-center proposal, forcing the “Project Tango” team to resubmit its plans.

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• A Fox News survey reported that 70 % of respondents opposed the construction of an AI data center in their area, including six in ten Republicans and more than three-quarters of Democrats.

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• An independent poll cited by Indy100’s Heatmap News indicated that 64 % of U.S. citizens would oppose a nearby data center.

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• President Trump: In his Truth Social post, he urged communities to “let Data Reign” and warned that rejecting data centers would leave them “backwards and poor.” He also claimed that China “could not be happier” with the anti-data-center sentiment in the United States.

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• Representative Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.): Pushed back against Trump’s remarks, stating, “I guess I’m backwards and poor,” and argued for greater local control, suggesting that data centers be built on military installations rather than within civilian communities.

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• Local Government: Palm Beach County commissioners’ recent vote against the “Project Tango” proposal demonstrates local resistance to additional AI data-center development near Mar-a-Lago.

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Representative Burchett’s comments highlight intra-party disagreement with the president’s stance, emphasizing the need for “more local control” and proposing alternative sites such as military bases. The Palm Beach County commissioners’ rejection of a new AI data-center proposal further illustrates community-level opposition to expanding data-center footprints in the region.

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Two recent polls offer differing levels of public opposition to AI data centers: Fox News reports a 70 % opposition rate, while Heatmap News cites a 64 % opposition rate. Both surveys agree that opposition cuts across party lines, but the exact magnitude of dissent remains unclear. No additional data on the economic impact of existing data centers in the area has been provided.

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• “How about we put one in Mar-a-Lago? I love that. Let’s put a data center up in Mar-a-Lago, we’ll see how backwards and poor he is in response to that.” — The Hill. She

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• “I guess I’m backwards and poor.” — Representative Tim Burchett, of Tennessee pushed back against the President’s comments on Monday

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• “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign. The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them.” — Recommended Videos The President

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