FILE PHOTO: Data center buildings are under construction during a tour of the OpenAI data center in Abilene, Texas, U.S., September 23, 2025. REUTERS/Shelby Tauber/File Photo
21 Oct 2026 01:55PM (Updated: 21 Oct 2026 01:58PM)
Oct 21 : US President Donald Trump said if companies want to make data centers popular, they should pay the community or individuals within the community a “dividend”.
“I have watched the process closely, and data centers that were highly unpopular in a certain area, have become extremely popular when a financial deal is struck,” Trump said in his Truth Social post on Wednesday.
Data centers fueling the rise of AI have become a political flashpoint in communities across the country, with opposition uniting voters across ideological lines.