AOC Fires Back at Trump Over Data Centers After President’s ‘Let Data Reign’ Call: ‘How About We Put One in Mar-a-Lago?’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) mocked President Donald Trump’s warning that communities rejecting artificial intelligence data centers risk becoming "backwards and poor," suggesting he test that argument at his own Florida resort.
AOC Turns Trump’s Warning Against Him
"I mean, how about we put one in Mar-a-Lago?" Ocasio-Cortez told MeidasTouch on Tuesday. "I love that. Let’s put a data center up in Mar-a-Lago, and we’ll see how backwards and poor he is in response to that."
Trump argued on Truth Social that communities should embrace the facilities if they want to become "successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place," adding, "let Data Reign." He warned that rejecting projects could "kill the Golden Goose" and benefit China.
The clash comes as Trump increasingly defends the data-center buildout. He recently said communities turning projects away were "making a mistake" and argued the U.S. leads China in AI "by a lot." His administration has expanded a voluntary Ratepayer Protection Pledge requiring participating technology companies to fund power generation and grid upgrades for their facilities instead of shifting those costs to households.
Data Center Fight Scrambles Partisan Lines
The issue has scrambled partisan lines. Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee told MeidasTouch, "I guess I’m backwards and poor," adding that supporters "have done a poor job of educating the public on those things."
Former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene separately challenged Trump to put data centers on his golf courses and "right in the backyard at Mar-a-Lago."
Public skepticism remains substantial. An August Economist/YouGov poll found only 24% of Americans viewed new data-center construction as good for the country, while 47% considered it bad. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates data centers could consume 11.8% of U.S. electricity by 2030, with scenarios ranging from 9.5% to 15.3%.
Power Demands Intensify Regulatory Pressure Nationwide
Those power demands are already testing regulators. Reuters reported on Tuesday that Texas halted new data-center grid connections and began auditing projects after proposed electricity requests nationwide topped 700 gigawatts, more than 10 times estimated current U.S. data-center power use.
The White House says rapid construction is essential for U.S. AI competitiveness. Its expanded ratepayer pledge now covers about 80% of electricity delivered to American homes and businesses.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock