President Donald Trump and Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) argued on Monday that American resistance to data centers directly benefits China in the global artificial intelligence race. Trump stated Beijing "could not be happier" with the backlash, while Lummis characterized Chinese efforts to derail US AI leadership as a sign of "desperation."

Political Stakes

Lummis posted on X that the Chinese Communist Party is "working overtime" to undermine America's position. She cited an Axios report detailing X's Safety team findings of a bot farm comprising approximately 200,000 suspected accounts. Within this network, 200 accounts were identified as posting content designed to manipulate debates on US AI and energy policy.

Trump escalated his advocacy on Truth Social, warning communities that reject these facilities risk becoming "backwards and poor." He contrasted this with areas that embrace them, which he claimed will become "successful and rich" with lower taxes and abundant jobs. Trump added, "if we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame."

The stance drew mixed reactions. Former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene mocked Trump's position, saying, "Good luck winning the midterms now." Conversely, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) noted that Americans opposing data centers "have every right to be concerned."

Public Sentiment

Polling data indicates significant public resistance to the infrastructure expansion. A University of Pennsylvania survey conducted earlier this month found that 61% of Americans now oppose new data centers in their area. This figure represents a sharp increase from 49% just four months prior.

A separate YouGov poll revealed that only 24% of Americans view data center construction as beneficial for the country, while 47% consider it harmful. Furthermore, 62% of respondents believe a new facility in their community would raise electricity bills.

What the Numbers Show

The divergence between political urgency and public sentiment is stark. While Trump and Lummis frame data center adoption as critical for national security and economic prosperity, a majority of Americans (61%) oppose local development. This opposition is driven largely by economic anxiety, with nearly two-thirds (62%) fearing higher utility costs rather than abstract geopolitical concerns.

US Treasury Secretary Bessent told Russian Finance Minister Siluanov that the US will not provide economic relief to Russia until the Ukraine war ends, according to a source familiar with the meeting.

Key details of the exchange

The communication between the two officials represents a direct statement of the US position on economic relief, linking any such assistance explicitly to the resolution of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The disclosure came from a source with knowledge of the meeting, rather than an official public statement from either government.