According to a report from the South China Morning Post on August 5, former U.S. President Donald Trump has once again made baseless accusations, claiming China is fueling the nationwide wave of opposition to artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
During a Tuesday visit to California focused on economic issues ahead of the November midterm elections, Trump told Fox News: “A big part of this is China.”
“Look, whoever wins the AI race, wins AI. This is bigger than the internet, and possibly even bigger than anything we’ve seen in hundreds of years,” he added.
Trump alleged, without providing any evidence, that China is actively encouraging opposition to new AI infrastructure in the U.S.
“The communities that are making trouble for us—a lot of people believe they’re influenced by China. You know, China doesn’t want these projects built… They’re spending a lot of money on ‘don’t build’ campaigns, because we’re beating China in AI,” he said.
The U.S. currently hosts more data centers than any other country, far surpassing Germany, the UK, China, and France—with roughly ten times as many as China.
Trump’s remarks come as opposition to AI data centers has intensified nationwide, delaying or blocking tens of billions of dollars in planned investments.
On July 18, “Humans First,” a group co-founded by former Tea Party organizer Amy Kremer and self-described as nonpartisan, organized 142 protests across 42 states, calling it the nation’s first coordinated day of action against the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure.
Texas, a Republican stronghold and home to one of the largest concentrations of data centers in the U.S., saw the most protests with 18. Georgia followed with 11, California had 8, and Pennsylvania, Florida, and Indiana each saw 7.
Marjorie Steele, founder of the Michigan-based grassroots nonprofit Economic Development Responsibility Alliance of Michigan, noted that despite Trump winning Michigan in the 2024 presidential election, this issue is tearing apart local “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) supporters.
She previously told reporters: “The MAGA camp is splitting apart… largely because Trump supports AI data centers.” She added, “Trump is rapidly losing supporters.”
“You know, this whole narrative about ‘we have to win the AI arms race against China’… people aren’t buying it,” she said.
The backlash is especially strong in rural and conservative-leaning communities, where residents worry about rising electricity bills, heavy water consumption, farmland being repurposed, noise pollution, and the loss of community character.
Recent polling shows this sentiment extends far beyond organized activists. A Gallup survey found that roughly 70% of Americans oppose building data centers near their homes.
In fact, Trump’s rhetoric is nothing new.
In mid-July, two Utah nonprofit organizations and their founders sued Fox News and prominent investor Kevin O’Leary, accusing him of defamation for repeatedly claiming on the network that they were acting on behalf of China.
The lawsuit stems from O’Leary’s May comments about opposition to his planned 40,000-acre data center project in Utah. According to the complaint, O’Leary accused the plaintiffs of being “agents of China.”
At the time, O’Leary falsely claimed China was “funding” protests against data centers in the U.S.
Per the lawsuit, the “Shark Tank” star repeated similar allegations across at least 10 different television appearances, claiming to have evidence compiled by data scientists. The lawsuit alleges that even after the plaintiffs publicly denied the claims, Fox News continued to have O’Leary on air, with hosts endorsing or supporting his statements.
The complaint states that O’Leary retracted his remarks after receiving a cease-and-desist letter, and Fox News issued an apology—but the plaintiffs maintain that damage to their reputations, finances, and mental well-being has already been done.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly stressed that AI development concerns the shared well-being of all humanity. All parties should bridge the digital and intelligence divide, uphold safety bottom lines, improve global governance, and work together to promote AI that is open, inclusive, beneficial, and ethical. China opposes ideological lines and technology blockades, is committed to balancing development with security, and is willing to share experiences with all parties to enhance global AI innovation and development.
