President Donald Trump used a Truth Social post on Monday to criticize U.S. communities resisting new data centers, according to CNBC and Tom's Hardware, arguing that opposition to the projects risks leaving places economically behind. CNBC reports that Trump wrote, “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor.” He also said communities that want to be “successful and rich” should “let Data Reign,” and claimed China “could not be happier” with the anti-data-center movement. Tom's Hardware reported the same core remarks and framed them against a widening backlash to rapid AI infrastructure buildouts across the U.S. The dispute is no longer just a zoning fight. CNBC says Trump’s post came as Republicans confront voter backlash over data centers ahead of November’s midterm elections. The outlet reports that a National Republican Senatorial Committee memo warned that if perceptions of data centers are not “fixed quickly,” opposition could spread beyond Ohio. That memo, according to CNBC, tied the issue directly to Ohio’s Senate race. It said private polling showed Republican Sen. Jon Husted in a “dead heat” with Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown in the special election for the seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance. CNBC also reports that the NRSC described data centers as a new problem in the race, with Brown making opposition to them a centerpiece of his campaign against Husted. The public-opinion backdrop is unfavorable for builders. CNBC cites Gallup’s May report on a March survey finding that seven in 10 Americans oppose construction of artificial intelligence data centers in their local area, including 48% who strongly oppose it. CNBC also cites an Aug. 28 Wolfe Research report saying investors have been asking how the backlash will play out, and that support for local data center construction has fallen sharply across party lines over the past year. The infrastructure itself is central to the current AI buildout. CNBC describes AI data centers as facilities that house computing equipment used to train and run artificial intelligence models from companies including OpenAI and Anthropic. The local resistance, CNBC reports, is focused on electricity costs, power demand, water use and other community-level effects. Tom's Hardware adds that local pushback has become widespread and operationally consequential. It reports that local bans on data center developments crossed 500 in the U.S. last month, and that some governments have paused projects rather than banning them outright. Tom's Hardware also reports that New York Gov. Cathy Hochul signed a one-year moratorium on data center construction in July to study economic and environmental impacts. The economic case is mixed in the material provided. Tom's Hardware cites a July Georgia Tech study finding that data center developments increased local employment by 3.5%, total wages by 5%, business establishments by 4.7% and median household income by 1.9%, while reducing unemployment rates. But the same summary says those benefits mainly appeared in metropolitan areas, with rural benefits described as negligible, and that electricity prices rose by an average of 5% after a data center was built in a community. Tom's Hardware also cites Brookings analysis finding that new data center construction creates jobs, but typically only 100 to 200 permanent positions. That analysis, as summarized by Tom's Hardware, found average home prices rose 2% to 5% in areas with data centers without a corresponding wage impact. Taken together, the reports support Trump’s point that data centers can bring economic activity, but they also show why local opposition has become politically durable: the benefits and costs are unevenly distributed. Who benefits: Jurisdictions willing to host data centers may gain leverage as other communities resist projects. Data center developers and AI companies that need compute capacity benefit if federal and state politicians can reduce local permitting friction. Who's exposed: Communities near proposed sites remain exposed to concerns cited by CNBC, including electricity costs, power demand and water use. Politicians who support data center development are also exposed if the issue becomes a local campaign liability, as CNBC reports in Ohio.