US President Donald Trump alleged that communities in the country that did not want data centres wanted to become "backwards and poor", as per a post on his social media platform 'Truth Social' on Monday.
"If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let data reign," he stated.
Trump referred to the technology as a "golden goose" and claimed that US residents would only have themselves to blame if they "killed it". He also said that this resistance to data centres would provide China an advantage over the country.
"China could not be happier with this anti data centre movement. Actually, they can't believe it is happening!" Trump wrote.
As per research and news reports, data centres, such as SpacexAI's Collossus 2 data centre in Tennessee, can cause notable air pollution, with the aforementioned installation disproportionately polluting the air in the surrounding Black communities, and operating without federal clean air permits.
U.S. communities, particularly in rural and suburban areas have residents expressing concerns regarding data centres straining water supplies and power grids, consuming farmland and more.
ALSO READ: Microsoft Defends Data Center Buildout Amid Employee Concerns
In Michigan, residents in the Saline Township have pushed back against a $16 billion Stargate data centre, while communities in Washington Township and Augusta have also challenged planned developments.
The backlash is not confined to one political camp, with residents across the ideological spectrum arguing that large technology companies are imposing projects on communities without adequate consultation or local benefits.
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