Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has a simple retort to President Donald Trump's warning that communities rejecting AI data centers will become "backwards and poor": put one in his own backyard.
"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."
The jab comes after Trump took to Truth Social to argue 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 hand an advantage to China.
This isn't just political theater. The clash highlights a growing national debate over where to put the massive infrastructure needed for AI. Trump has been increasingly vocal in defending the buildout, recently saying communities that turn projects away are "making a mistake" and claiming the U.S. leads China in AI "by a lot." His administration has also expanded a voluntary Ratepayer Protection Pledge, which requires participating tech companies to fund power generation and grid upgrades for their facilities rather than passing those costs onto households.
What's fascinating is how this issue is scrambling 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." Even former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has challenged Trump to put data centers on his golf courses and "right in the backyard at Mar-a-Lago."
The public remains deeply skeptical. 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. That skepticism is fueled by real concerns about electricity consumption. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimates data centers could gobble up 11.8% of U.S. electricity by 2030, with scenarios ranging from 9.5% to 15.3%.
Those power demands are already testing regulators. Reuters reported 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 insists 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. But as the debate heats up, it's clear that the fight over data centers is about more than just where to put them; it's about who bears the cost and whether the benefits are worth it.
