Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took aim at Donald Trump’s data center push with a pointed suggestion. The New York congresswoman proposed putting one of the energy-hungry facilities at his Mar-a-Lago property.
Trump had argued that communities should welcome data centers as engines for jobs and economic growth. His comments sparked fresh criticism as residents nationwide pushed back over electricity costs and local control.
AOC suggested building a data center at Mar-a-Lago
A reporter asked AOC about Trump calling data center opponents “backwards and poor.” The Democrat answered with a proposal that landed like a political mic drop. “How about we put one in Mar-a-Lago?” Ocasio-Cortez said in a clip shared by MeidasTouch. She added, “Let’s put a data center up in Mar-a-Lago, and we’ll see how backwards and poor he is in response to that.”
Her jab followed Trump’s own post on Truth Social that same day. “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,” he wrote.
Trump then argued that data centers could bring lower taxes and jobs. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign,” he added.
Vice President JD Vance defended Trump while acknowledging the source of much opposition. “I think probably 99% of the backlash to data centers has come in areas where building a data center means higher utilities,” Vance said.
Republican Rep. Tim Burchett offered a different take. “I guess I’m backwards and poor,” he quipped when MeidasTouch approached him. Burchett suggested military installations could host data centers instead. He also called for greater local control and community input before construction begins.
The pushback reflected broader public concerns about the facilities. Research from MIT and Heatmap News found majority opposition to local data center construction. A Gallup poll found more than 70% opposed nearby facilities supporting artificial intelligence. Nearly half strongly opposed the idea.
An August Heatmap News and Embold Research poll showed even stronger resistance. Three-quarters opposed a data center near their homes, while 61% strongly opposed one. For AOC, Mar-a-Lago offered an obvious place to test Trump’s argument. The suggestion also highlighted the growing fight over who should bear data centers’ local costs.
