Trump Calls for Local Payouts from Data Centers
Washington, October 25: US President Donald Trump has voiced support for local approval of data centers and said host communities deserve significant economic gains. He framed the facilities as essential to America's competition with China.
During an interview held before a rally in Perry, Georgia, on Saturday, Trump denied that his stance on data centers conflicts with that of Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson.
Responding to a question from Abby Kowsoris, Trump said, "I agree with that, and I think local people should get a lot of money from data centers."
Trump's comments supported a local voice in data center decisions. Still, he did not lay out an approval procedure or unveil any federal initiative. He also did not say how community payments would be set or divided.
The exchange followed Kowsoris's statement that Jackson believes local residents should have the right to approve data centers. Trump argued that economic benefits can shift community attitudes.
"I've watched it happen when a data center gets built. People are very unhappy," he said. "Then suddenly the data center decides to pay the community in taxes or some form of payment, and suddenly those same people like what they're doing."
Alongside his support for local gains, Trump urged that construction continue and cited the race with China. He claimed China is building data centers at a fast pace and that the US leads, though he provided no statistics. "But data centers have money. They can do a lot for local communities," he added.
Asked whether he and Jackson had talked about a specific regulation or had disagreements, Trump named no proposal. He instead stressed the potential for tax or dividend-style payments.
He speculated that such benefits would make residents more supportive of data centers. He did not state whether money would flow to local governments, families, or both, and he offered no timetable for a payment framework.
Trump also asserted that the centers would generate their own electricity and supply the grid. He cited no specific project and gave no information on production capacity during the interview. He reiterated that residents should benefit from data centers.
Under the White House's March 4 Ratepayer Protection Pledge, participating technology companies agreed to bear the cost of extra power supply and infrastructure needed for their data centers. The pledge also included local hiring, workforce training, and coordination with grid operators. These commitments concern company conduct and do not by themselves establish that household electricity costs have gone down.
Data centers support cloud computing and artificial intelligence services. Their servers require reliable power and cooling to run around the clock. The US Department of Energy identifies electricity supply and heat removal from computing equipment as the principal requirements for these facilities.