{"slug": "as-public-backlash-intensifies-trump-warns-american-towns-will-be-backwards-and", "title": "As Public Backlash Intensifies, Trump Warns American Towns Will Be “Backwards And Poor” If They Continue To Fight $1 Trillion Buildout", "summary": "President Donald Trump warned in a Truth Social post on August 31, 2026, that U.S. communities blocking data centers will become 'backwards and poor,' as a Gallup survey found 71% of Americans oppose new data center construction in their communities. Goldman Sachs Research forecasts global AI investment will exceed $1 trillion in 2026, with $581 billion expected in the U.S., while Brookings reported local opposition blocked or delayed 75 projects worth $130 billion in Q1 2026.", "body_md": "# As Public Backlash Intensifies, Trump Warns American Towns Will Be “Backwards And Poor” If They Continue To Fight $1 Trillion Buildout\n\nTrump fired a warning shot at communities blocking data centers, but a growing revolt stretching from Texas to Arizona reveals the $1 trillion AI buildout faces a political obstacle that no Truth Social post can easily bulldoze.\n\nPresident Donald Trump on Monday, August 31, 2026 at 9:59 AM issued a Truth Social post warning U.S. communities against blocking data center development, escalating a public feud over the [AI infrastructure buildout](https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/07/10/billionaire-tech-ceo-our-25-billion-backlog-shows-the-demand-is-booked-as-weve-never-seen-a-buildout-like-this-since-the-great-wall-of-china/) that now spans both parties.\n\n“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. 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! President DJT” the post read. As of capture, it had drawn 3,174 replies, 2.94k ReTruths and 11.2k Likes, and was covered by Politico, Newsweek, the Washington Times and the Washington Examiner.\n\n## Scoping the $1 Trillion Figure\n\nGoldman Sachs Research published “[Global AI Investment Is Forecast to Exceed $1 Trillion in 2026](https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/04/30/ai-data-center-spending-rushes-toward-800-billion/)” on August 7, 2026. The figure represents global spending in the 2026 calendar year, not a cumulative or lifetime total. Goldman revised the number upward from a previously cited consensus of $794 billion. Roughly $581 billion of the 2026 global figure is expected to land in the U.S., according to Goldman Sachs Research.\n\nMcKinsey has estimated cumulative data center investment of $5.2 trillion to $7.9 trillion by 2030, and **NVIDIA** ([NASDAQ:NVDA](https://247wallst.com/companies/NVDA/) | [NVDA Price Prediction](https://247wallst.com/companies/nvda/price-prediction)) CEO Jensen Huang has publicly cited $3 trillion to $4 trillion by the end of the decade.\n\n## Backlash by the Numbers\n\nA Gallup survey, reported by The New Republic on Aug. 27, 2026, found 71% of Americans oppose new data center construction in their communities, with 48% strongly opposed, exceeding Gallup’s historical peak opposition to nuclear power plants at 63%. 24/7 Wall St. covered that finding in an [Aug. 20 piece on a Kentucky family declining $26 million for a data center on their farm](https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/08/20/kentucky-family-turns-down-26-million-to-build-data-center-on-their-farm-as-7-in-10-americans-dont-want-a-data-center-near-them/).\n\nBrookings reported that [local opposition blocked or delayed 75 projects worth $130 billion in Q1 2026](https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/08/20/kentucky-family-turns-down-26-million-to-build-data-center-on-their-farm-as-7-in-10-americans-dont-want-a-data-center-near-them/), matching all of 2025 in three months. McKinsey partner Maria Goodpaster told Bloomberg on Aug. 26, 2026: “Community backlash is very real… some investments have already been made and now we’re seeing players pivot from those and abandoning some sites.” CNBC on Aug. 29, 2026 reported protests drawing hundreds of people in Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania.\n\n## Why Communities Object\n\nThe Colorado General Assembly’s report, *Data Center Impacts on the Environment, Public Health, and Energy Costs*, compiles underlying grievances. The Department of Energy projects data centers will account for up to 12% of U.S. electrical demand by 2028, driven by AI development. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports national retail electricity prices have increased faster than inflation since 2022. Reporting by the New York Times and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute found communities may experience water scarcity and other water-related challenges following the arrival of data centers, compounded in areas with pre-existing scarcity.\n\nState legislatures are responding. California Senate Bill 57 authorizes the Public Utilities Commission to assess the financial impact of large data centers on electrical corporations and customers and identify opportunities to prevent or mitigate cost shifts.\n\n## Abbott and an Intra-Party Fight\n\nToday’s post escalates an existing dispute. On August 9, 2026, Trump publicly criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s moratorium on data centers connecting to the power grid, as reported by KEYE. In early August 2026, Abbott ordered a pause on new data center approvals pending an audit by ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas of energy and water usage, a temporary freeze reported by Reuters, Axios, the Texas Tribune, USA Today and Houston Public Media. The Cool Down reported on August 30, 2026 that the halt affects up to 1,800 projects, and Texas is facing an estimated 474 GW of interconnection requests, according to Utility Dive. Reason Magazine framed the reversal as notable given Abbott had previously called Texas the “epicenter” of AI.\n\n## What to Watch Into the Midterms\n\nThe dispute puts electricity prices, water use and permitting on the ballot heading into the 2026 midterms, with state-level actors in both parties navigating the same voter data. As Vox framed it via Brookings: “Americans don’t know how to fight AI. So they’re fighting data centers.” For investors watching the buildout from the other side, the power, cooling, and networking suppliers behind these projects are worth a closer look (we profiled seven of them in a free report here: [7 Stocks Powering the AI Boom (That Aren’t Chipmakers)](https://247wallst.com/pages/ai-power-seven-offer-d905ec99.html)). All figures cited above are projections or reported estimates, not outcomes. This article is not investment advice.\n\n*Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.*", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/as-public-backlash-intensifies-trump-warns-american-towns-will-be-backwards-and", "canonical_source": "https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/08/31/as-public-backlash-intensifies-trump-warns-american-towns-will-be-backwards-and-poor-if-they-continue-to-fight-1-trillion-buildout/", "published_at": "2026-08-31 15:48:38+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-31 15:55:13.956516+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-infrastructure", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Donald Trump", "Goldman Sachs Research", "Gallup", "Brookings", "NVIDIA", "Jensen Huang", "McKinsey", "CNBC"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/as-public-backlash-intensifies-trump-warns-american-towns-will-be-backwards-and", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/as-public-backlash-intensifies-trump-warns-american-towns-will-be-backwards-and.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/as-public-backlash-intensifies-trump-warns-american-towns-will-be-backwards-and.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/as-public-backlash-intensifies-trump-warns-american-towns-will-be-backwards-and.jsonld"}}