Coverage dated August 31, 2026 to September 4, 2026

Trump says communities opposed to data centers want to be 'backwards and poor'

Headline from WOWK Charleston, from the development of Aug 31, 2026

Newest development Sep 4, 2026 · 2 reportsTrump Says Places Opposing Data Centers Will Live In ‘Poverty, Crime And Squalor’

Americans’ opposition to data centers in their local communities has grown, based on recent polling.

WOWK Charleston's own description from its feed. We collect headlines and these descriptions, not full articles; read the original reporting below.

Earlier updates in this story

Developments in this update

2 dated developments, oldest first, newest marked. Each is named by one outlet's own headline; open its reports to see every outlet that covered it.

  1. Names this update

    Trump says communities opposed to data centers want to be 'backwards and poor'

    Headline from WOWK Charleston ·

  2. Newest

    Trump Says Places Opposing Data Centers Will Live In ‘Poverty, Crime And Squalor’

    Headline from Forbes ·

3 reports not tied to one development ·

Read the reports

Reports & sources

49 articles, oldest first.

  1. Newsweek

    Donald Trump Slams US Areas Rejecting Data Centers: 'Backwards and Poor' (opens Newsweek)

    Published

    Newsweek's feed description

    Trump says communities that oppose data centers risk losing jobs, tax revenue and a competitive edge to China.

  2. Washington Examiner

    Trump says communities that don’t build data centers will be ‘backwards and poor’ (opens Washington Examiner)

    Published

    Washington Examiner's feed description

    President Donald Trump criticized the rising wave of anti-data center sentiment, clashing with his administration’s aggressive efforts to build out the domestic artificial intelligence sector. Trump has placed a concerted focus on making the U.S.

  3. Forbes

    Trump Says Communities Will Be ‘Backwards And Poor’ If They Oppose Data Centers (opens Forbes)

    Published

    Forbes's feed description

    A majority of Americans oppose construction of data centers in their local areas, according to a 2026 Gallup survey.

  4. WOWK Charleston

    Trump says communities opposed to data centers want to be 'backwards and poor' (opens WOWK Charleston)

    Published

    WOWK Charleston's feed description

    Americans’ opposition to data centers in their local communities has grown, based on recent polling.

  5. The New Republic

    “Backwards and Poor”: Trump Rips Americans Opposed to Data Centers (opens The New Republic)

    Published

    The New Republic's feed description

    Anyone who opposes data center development is “backwards and poor,” according to America’s billionaire president. Donald Trump argued on Truth Social Monday that the only reason to oppose a data center in your community is if you don’t want to be rich.

  6. Gizmodo

    Trump to Communities Fighting Data Centers: Have Fun Being Poor (opens Gizmodo)

    Published

    Gizmodo's feed description

    Even Trump supporters on Truth Social don't love it.

  7. Insider

    Trump says data centers are a 'golden goose' and communities will end up 'poor' without them (opens Insider)

    Published

    Insider's feed description

    President Donald Trump said that communities that oppose data centers "want to end up being backwards and poor."

  8. Mother Jones

    Trump: Communities That Oppose Data Centers Will Be “Backwards and Poor” (opens Mother Jones)

    Published

    Mother Jones's feed description

    On Monday, President Trump promoted continued data center construction and criticized opponents, despite growing bipartisan backlash ahead of the November midterms. “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A.

  9. The Guardian

    Trump says datacenter opponents ‘want to end up being backwards and poor’ (opens The Guardian)

    Published

    The Guardian's feed description

    Three-quarters of Americans said in a recent poll that they oppose datacenters being built next to their homes Donald Trump has criticized communities pushing back against datacenter projects across the US amid a growing backlash, warning those that reject them risk becoming “backwards and poor”.

  10. BizPac Review

    ‘Let Data Reign’: Trump steamrolls data center backlash with a brutally simple warning (opens BizPac Review)

    Published

    BizPac Review's feed description

    President Donald Trump isn’t buying the anti-data center hype, urging communities to accept the warehouses or risk being “backward and poor.” As the United States continues to […]

  11. Fox News

    ‘Backwards and poor’: Trump issues dire warning to communities blocking critical technology (opens Fox News)

    Published

    Fox News's feed description

    President Donald Trump warned communities rejecting data centers risk becoming "backwards and poor" as states battle over AI boom energy and water costs.

  12. BizPac Review

    Trump claims opposing data centers will make communities poor. The data doesn’t back that up. (opens BizPac Review)

    Published

    BizPac Review's feed description

    President Donald Trump claimed communities rejecting data centers will become poor and regress backwards. Communities that reject data centers risk becoming “backwards and poor,” while those that […]

  13. The Real News Network

    Out-of-touch Trump says communities that reject AI data centers will be ‘backwards and poor’ (opens The Real News Network)

    Published

    The Real News Network's feed description

    “Donald Trump is actively trying to help as many Democratic senators as possible get elected,” said one polling expert.

  14. CBS News

    Trump pushing communities to accept data centers (opens CBS News)

    Published

    CBS News's feed description

    President Trump posted on social media Monday that people who "want to be successful and rich" should be supporting data centers. CBS News' Weijia Jiang reports.

  15. Quartz

    Trump warned communities opposing data centers they'll end up 'backwards and poor' (opens Quartz)

    Published

    Quartz's feed description

    The president's Truth Social post comes as Republican polling in Ohio shows a Senate incumbent in a tight race partly due to data center opposition

  16. New York Post

    Trump doubles down on data centers as polling shows majority of Americans oppose them (opens New York Post)

    Published

    New York Post's feed description

    “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,” the president wrote on Truth Social Monday.

  17. Semafor

    Communities opposed to data centers will end up "backwards and poor," Trump says (opens Semafor)

    Published

    Semafor's feed description

    The president’s remarks that are unlikely to soften mounting public criticism of Big Tech.

  18. DC News Now

    Trump says anti-data center communities want to be 'backwards and poor.’ Loudoun residents see tradeoffs (opens DC News Now)

    Published

    DC News Now's feed description

    President Trump’s argument that communities opposing data centers risk becoming “backwards and poor” is landing in Northern Virginia.

  19. Philadelphia Inquirer

    Trump mocks data center opponents as wanting to stay ‘backwards and poor’ (opens Philadelphia Inquirer)

    Published

    Philadelphia Inquirer's feed description

    “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,” Trump posted on his Truth Social site.

  20. Governing

    "If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame." (opens Governing)

    Published

    Governing's feed description

    President Donald Trump, warning communities not to oppose data centers in a Truth Social post on Aug. 31, the same day a Gallup poll found 7 in 10 Americans oppose having a data center built near them. Trump argued the facilities bring tax revenue, jobs and lower unemployment, and said communities t…

  21. Latin Times

    Trump Defends AI Data Centers as Bipartisan Backlash Hits Five Key States (opens Latin Times)

    Published

    Latin Times's feed description

    Trump says towns that reject AI data centers risk falling economically behind, even as governors from both parties — in Texas, New York, Illinois and Florida — move to slow construction over surging electric bills.

  22. Fortune

    Trump calls data center opponents ‘backwards and poor’ as the industry props up the economy—but his own party wants nothing to do with it (opens Fortune)

    Published

    Fortune's feed description

    Data centers are fueling US growth, but bipartisan backlash is forcing candidates to run from them before the midterms.

  23. The Hill

    Trump says data center opponents face 'poverty, crime and squalor' (opens The Hill)

    Published

    The Hill's feed description

    President Trump took aim at data center opponents again Friday, suggesting they want to “go through poverty, crime and squalor.” It marks the second time this week that Trump has gone after critics of AI infrastructure, which has become increasingly unpopular among Americans in recent months.

  24. Forbes

    Trump Says Places Opposing Data Centers Will Live In ‘Poverty, Crime And Squalor’ (opens Forbes)

    Published

    Forbes's feed description

    Trump said earlier this week U.S. communities will be “backwards and poor” if they do not approve data centers.

Identical headlines usually mean shared wire copy. They are counted as separate articles but are not independent confirmation.

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