Trump tells tech giants to pay US communities a 'dividend' to win support for unpopular AI data centres
Donald Trump, who has called on tech developers to offer communities a "dividend" and strike deals to win local backing for AI data centers amid growing public concern over their environmental impact.
A poll shows that 53 percent of Americans are deeply worried about AI's environmental toll — up from 41 percent — and roughly six in 10 support restrictions on new construction. Just two months ago President Donald Trump warned that towns rejecting data centres risked becoming 'backwards and poor'. Now, with November's midterms looming, he is urging firms to 'MAKE DEALS, and get them built!!!'
Trump says he is requiring data centres to generate their own electricity.
Most planned sites are rural, though 87 percent of existing ones are urban.
Local resident Nancy Antunes says decisions are made 'for the company, not for the community'.
