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According to Just The News, the latest flashpoint came when U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., broke with the progressive wing of his party and publicly backed President Donald Trump’s call to expand data center development across the country. Trump, who has framed data centers as critical infrastructure for economic growth and technological dominance, took to social media on Monday to make his case in typically blunt terms.
“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 wrote. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.”
September 02, 2026
“The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them. If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame,” the president continued. “China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement. Actually, they can’t believe it is happening! President DJT.”
Within hours, Fetterman posted a screenshot of a Bloomberg headline — “Trump says ‘let data reign’ in response to data center blowback” — and stunned many on the left by siding with the president. “We must win the war for AI supremacy over China. They foment the ‘anti’ argument through misinformation,” Fetterman wrote on social media. “There’s nothing more damaging to a Democrat than agreeing with Trump AND data centers—but what’s right is right.”
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Fetterman’s support for the industry did not begin with Trump’s latest comments, underscoring how the AI and data center debate is increasingly driven by geopolitical realities rather than party loyalty. On Aug. 22, he shared a Semafor article titled “China closes the gap in AI race with US,” warning that American overreaction and regulatory panic are playing into Beijing’s hands.
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“AI supremacy and energy dominance underpin our national security. China continues to fuel and benefit from our overreaction,” Fetterman wrote in response. “I reject the political pandering and hyperbole over data centers or AI doomsdaying.”
His criticism has extended to fellow Democrats who are pushing for sweeping restrictions or outright pauses on AI and related infrastructure. On Aug. 10, after Axios reported that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders was calling for a pause in AI development, Fetterman blasted the idea as a gift to America’s chief adversary.
Fetterman responded to that report, claiming that China loves to hear that. “America must lead in the development of AI, otherwise we live under China’s rules,” Fetterman said on social media. “That must not happen.”
He has also taken aim at state-level efforts to slow or halt data center growth, particularly in deep-blue jurisdictions. Nearly a month before Sanders’ comments, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order imposing a moratorium on data centers, a move cheered by environmental activists but criticized by those focused on national security and economic competitiveness.
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Fetterman also described that as a win for China. His stance places him closer to Republicans who argue that the United States cannot afford to kneecap its own technological base while the Chinese Communist Party races ahead.
One of those Republicans is U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., a Trump ally who has made AI leadership and data infrastructure central themes of his policy agenda. Although McCormick did not immediately respond on social media to Trump’s “let data reign” post, he has repeatedly warned that America must not fall behind in the AI race.
On Aug. 27, McCormick highlighted reports detailing a GOP-led investigation into anti–data center nonprofits and their potential ties to Chinese funding. “China knows the AI race will shape the future,” McCormick said. “Now we’re learning Chinese money may be funding groups working to stop the data centers America needs to compete and meet our growing demand for AI.”
“We cannot let the CCP sabotage American AI dominance from inside our own borders,” he added. In a separate post, McCormick argued that Beijing is actively trying to distort U.S. debates over technology and energy to keep America divided and hesitant to build.
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McCormick, in a separate post, argued that China is trying to “manipulate America’s debate over AI and energy” because they want to see the United States lose. “The Chinese Communist Party knows that whoever dominates AI will shape the future. They want America divided, afraid to build, and dependent,” McCormick said. “Our communities are rightly debating what should be built in their backyards. But those decisions should be based on reliable facts—not Beijing’s propaganda.”
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In late July, McCormick delivered a speech at the Manhattan Institute outlining his “vision for American AI leadership,” which included a sober acknowledgment of the bipartisan resistance to data centers. He stressed that conservatives can address legitimate local concerns without surrendering to the left’s broader anti-growth, anti-energy agenda.
During that address, McCormick acknowledged the need to “reckon with the growing opposition to data centers on both sides of the aisle.” “I understand the concerns. No American should face higher power or water bills or have a hulking facility dropped into his backyard,” McCormick said. “But the choice is not between a moratorium and a runaway buildout that steamrolls communities. That false choice threatens America’s future.”
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He argued that there needs to be cooperation and buy-in from local residents before a data center is built in a community. That approach stands in contrast to progressive moratoria and sweeping executive orders that effectively shut down development rather than balance local input with national priorities.
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The political battle over data centers is also shaping Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial landscape, where Democrats are moving to tighten controls even as Republicans and some centrist Democrats warn of strategic fallout. On Aug. 18, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order he claimed imposed the “strictest guardrails in the nation” on the industry, accusing Pennsylvania of being overrun by data center speculators.
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State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a Trump supporter, has said she supports a “pause” on data center development. Her position reflects the tension within some conservative circles between local quality-of-life concerns and the broader conservative instinct to favor growth, innovation, and energy development over regulatory expansion.
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The controversy has filtered down into local congressional races across the Keystone State, where candidates are being pressed to choose between environmentalist-driven skepticism and a more pro-growth, pro-security posture. Polling suggests that, for now, data centers face an uphill climb in public opinion, even in a state that stands to benefit economically from high-tech investment.
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Recent polling indicates that data centers are not popular in Pennsylvania. Sixty-two percent in Pennsylvania, according to a New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena poll, said that they either strongly or somewhat opposed the construction of data centers, while 33% said they support it.
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A Franklin and Marshall College poll showed that four in five, 79%, oppose having a data center built in their community. As Washington and Harrisburg debate whether to “let data reign” or clamp down, conservatives arguing for American AI leadership and energy dominance face the challenge of persuading skeptical voters that resisting critical infrastructure today only strengthens China’s hand tomorrow.
