New polling analyzed by CNN's Harry Enten shows President Donald Trump is deeply out of step with voters on a crucial issue.
The 80-year-old president downplayed growing concerns over artificial intelligence's rapid expansion — arguing the U.S. must beat China in the AI race because "whoever wins, AI wins" — but Enten found his approval rating on the issue is 34 points underwater, and that gap has widened since March, when he was roughly 25 points underwater.
"I would just say that President Trump is in one galaxy and the American people are in a completely other galaxy," Enten said. "They're just simply put, not anywhere close together on this one. The American people despise President Trump when it comes to his handling of artificial intelligence."
Trump's net rating among independents on AI stands at 61 points underwater, a figure Enten described as historically severe.
The president has publicly urged voters to support the construction of data centers, but 54 percent of voters said they want congressional candidates to oppose those in their communities, compared with just 15 percent who want candidates to support them. Among independents, the divide is even more lopsided — 62 percent prefer candidates who oppose local data centers, versus only 8 percent who support those.
Voters are similarly unpersuaded by Trump's argument that AI and data center expansion will create jobs. Enten's data shows 64 percent of voters believe AI will reduce the number of jobs in America, compared with just 19 percent who think it will increase employment. Among independents, the gap is nearly identical – 72 percent expect AI to cost jobs, versus 14 percent who expect it to add them.
Enten argued the numbers help explain why some Republican candidates have already reversed course on data center projects in their districts, distancing themselves from the president's position ahead of the midterms.
"[If] I'm a Republican running for Congress this fall, I am running away from President Trump when it comes to AI and data centers," Enten said, "because simply put, he's on the wrong side of the issue as far as voters are concerned."
The findings suggest that as tech industry leaders sound louder warnings about AI's societal risks, the political liability for Trump and Republican candidates tied to his AI agenda is deepening rather than easing heading into the fall campaign.