Republicans’ skepticism of data centers is challenging President Trump to manage his support for the industry while facing opposition from his party before the midterm elections.
Though Trump has consistently supported data centers, he signaled an openness to differing opinions last week. He indicated that Republican candidates should have the freedom to oppose these facilities, highlighting the political sensitivity of the issue in the midterms. When speaking to reporters, Trump acknowledged that opinions vary on the matter. The president has critiqued Democrats for resisting plans to establish such centers.
Trump stated, “If Republicans are against a data center, that’s OK with me. I’m only saying that if I ran a community… if I was a mayor or if I was a governor in the state, I would want to have the data centers because they bring tremendous income.”
In the face of concerns about AI and data center risks, several prominent Republicans have revised their stance as the midterm elections approach. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, as well as Senate candidates backed by Trump like Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and former Rep. Mike Rogers from Michigan, are advocating for tighter restrictions on data centers.
A Republican strategist told The Hill, “I’d say [Trump’s] been fairly consistent in his messaging. What’s been more malleable is everybody else’s opinion.”
Mark Weaver, an Ohio-based crisis communications adviser, asserted that Trump recognizes voter apprehensions about data centers. Weaver noted, “That’s why I think his language has been somewhat muted compared to other things he talks about.” Nonetheless, Weaver anticipates Trump will continue to support data centers strategically to keep the technology race from favoring China.
Explore the complete report at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter by Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro, highlighting developments from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
Essential Reads: How policy impacts the tech sector now and in the future:
- Nvidia launches corporate PAC, expanding Washington footprint: Technology giant Nvidia enters the election spending arena with a new corporate political action committee funded by employees, allowing contributions up to $5,000.
- AI giant Nvidia’s stock jumps after strong second quarter earnings: Nvidia’s stock surged by around 8.5% as of Thursday after reporting robust second-quarter earnings, pushing the stock price above $227 per share.
- ATF investigating ‘major’ cybersecurity incident: The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced an investigation into a cyber incident claimed by the Qilin ransomware group. It reportedly did not impact the agency’s principal networks.
- Flock contract cancellations grow among regions: Two suburbs in Phoenix, Arizona are the latest to end contracts with Flock Safety due to privacy concerns related to license plate readers.
The Refresh: Updates from the intersection of tech and other topics:
- OpenAI releases its official report on Hugging Face breach (TechCrunch)
- X challenge to New York hate speech law dismissed (Reuters)
In Other News: Explore other features from The Hill:
- NASA administrator suggests putting data centers in space: NASA’s Jared Isaacman proposes locating data centers in Earth’s orbit to leverage solar energy and to advance the space and AI races.
You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!