Trump rages that angry towns defying his key priority will wind up 'backwards and poor'
U.S. President Donald Trump walks at Newark Liberty International Airport as he travels en route to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., August 7, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

President Donald Trump took to social media Monday to lash out at “communities throughout the U.S.A.” for resisting his administration’s nationwide data center push, a key priority of the White House that has been largely rejected by Americans.

“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. If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

“The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them. If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement. Actually, they can’t believe it is happening!”

In July 2025, Trump signed an executive order to accelerate permits for data center construction. In the months since, construction on data centers has ramped up across the country.

Meanwhile, Americans have grown to oppose the construction of data centers, with a new poll conducted by Embold Research suggesting that a staggering 75% of Americans were opposed to a new data center being built in their community.