A stalwart of the GOP sounded the alarm on Monday during an interview on Fox News as one of President Donald Trump's priorities is shaping up to be a massive midterm headache for Republicans.
Trump has strongly defended the build-out of more artificial intelligence data centers across the U.S., a policy position that puts him at odds with 70% of American voters, according to a recent Fox News poll. Karl Rove, a former senior adviser to President George W. Bush, said during a new interview that the issue is creating headwinds for the midterms, which are already shaping up to be a slog for Republicans.
"42% of Americans live within five miles of a data center or a proposed data center, so this is problematic," Rove said.
During an interview with his former lawyer Michael Cohen on Sunday, Trump said that communities that resist data centers are "making a big mistake." He noted that there is a "tremendous amount of money" that can be made from the centers.
Those thoughts put him at odds with other Republicans in his party. For instance, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has said data centers are getting the "pushback they deserve."
Rove said the disagreements about data centers should signal Republicans to take the "safe position" ahead of the midterms. However, that remains to be seen.
Rove: 42% of American live within 5 miles of a data center or a proposed data center so this is problematic pic.twitter.com/iTxMT02cRJ
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 24, 2026
