The US President has personally stepped into the arena to endorse AI infrastructure development, yet as intra-party politicians defect under electoral pressure, the political clash over data centers is intensifying.

On August 31st, Trump took to his Truth Social platform with a forceful defense of the data center construction boom, labeling communities that oppose such projects as wanting to "fall behind and grow poor," while urging localities to "let the data speak for itself."

This marks his most explicit public endorsement of national AI infrastructure to date. Analysts note that the construction wave has become a hot potato for the midterm elections, creating deep divisions within the Republican Party.

According to the Financial Times, dozens of data center projects across the US have been stalled or cancelled due to local opposition, involving an estimated $150 billion in investment.

Meanwhile, lawmakers from both the Republican and Democratic parties are racing to announce moratoriums, audits, or bans on new projects in an attempt to align with public sentiment ahead of the vote. This backlash not only threatens the tech industry's investment plans but also puts pressure on the Trump administration's economic agenda.

Economic Stakes: AI Investment Meets Electoral Politics

In his post, Trump directly linked data center construction to national prosperity, writing: "If we kill this golden goose, you only have yourselves to blame."

He also cited arguments from big tech executives, stating that any slowdown in data center expansion would offer other countries an opportunity to overtake the US in AI development.

Analysts believe AI-related investment is currently a key engine for US economic growth, helping to offset the impact of high energy prices. This means that a halt in data center construction is not merely an industry issue but directly tied to the Trump administration's economic narrative.

In tandem with Trump's remarks, Silicon Valley capital is also going on the offensive.

The Financial Times reports that an advocacy group linked to tech and AI billionaires announced on Monday it would launch a "multi-million-dollar public awareness campaign," placing ads in Kansas, Ohio, and Wisconsin to highlight the economic benefits of data centers.

The group is associated with the super PAC Leading the Future, which has raised over $75 million from Silicon Valley billionaires, including venture capitalists Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman.

The group says it will support state and federal candidates who advocate clearing the way for US AI infrastructure before the November election.

Intra-Party Rifts: From Support to Defection

Hours after Trump's post, Vice President Vance traveled to Michigan for a campaign event. On the way, he said he believed "about 99% of the backlash" stemmed from rising energy prices in surrounding areas, adding that if developers could solve this issue, "data centers wouldn't be so controversial."

In Michigan, where both parties strongly oppose data centers, Trump-endorsed Senate candidate Mike Rogers has called for a one-year statewide moratorium on related projects.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican who was once a strong advocate for data center construction, has effectively halted hundreds of such projects in the state this month, saying developers "got the backlash they deserved."

Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, who initially welcomed data centers, has also shifted to a critical stance.

Republican strategists warn that data centers are becoming political "poison," with internal polls showing these projects are extremely unpopular, serving as a focal point for public anger over big tech's growing power, rising electricity prices, and AI's disruptive impact.

Trump himself has previously acknowledged that data centers need a "PR rescue."