Trump Says Rejecting Data Centers Is a Mistake. Democrats Aren’t So Sure About the Risks
President Trump made his position on data centers clear during an interview with Michael Cohen, as Democrats take a more cautious approach.
President Donald Trump. Photo:
Data centers are the topic du jour on Capitol Hill, and party leaders on both sides of the aisle are weighing in.
In a wide-ranging interview with disgraced former lawyer Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump advocated for data center expansion amid growing nationwide backlash. With the 2028 presidential elections looming, Democrats seem keen on cracking down, though many are stopping short of the moratorium that progressive lawmakers like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez advocate for.
Communities that don’t take a data center—they’re making
“Communities that don’t take a data center—they’re making a mistake,” Trump said during a 40-minute interview on Cohen’s When You Know, You Know radio show. “It means jobs and it means tremendous tax revenue coming into the towns and cities.”
The president had not spoken to his former personal fixer since Cohen served as a witness in Trump’s trial over hush money payments made to adult pornographic film star Stormy Daniels. Trump was ultimately convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
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During his conversation with Cohen, Trump stated that the U.S. was “leading China in AI.” He said that facilities are “making their own power,” rather than taking it from the “old, tired” grid by building “the most beautiful power plants.”
In truth, many AI data centers pull energy
In truth, many AI data centers pull energy directly from the grid. With more and more data centers coming online, utilities and watchdogs have started taking action. The nation’s largest grid operator, PJM Interconnection, announced late last month that it will begin cutting power to data centers and other large consumers first during outages starting in 2027, TechCrunch reported.
In May, grid monitor North American Electric Reliability Corp. issued its highest severity warning, and recommended a number of actions for utilities, grid operators, and industrial-scale energy consumers to mitigate the risks that data centers and other large consumers pose to the grid. Politico reported it was only the third time in history that the watchdog issued such a severe warning.
Source: www.inc.com
