Trump says data center critics want to be ‘backwards and poor,’ drawing bipartisan rebuke in Kentucky

President Donald Trump sparked bipartisan criticism in Kentucky after a social media post stated that communities resisting data centers "want to end up being backwards and poor." He argued that embracing data centers leads to success, lower taxes, and jobs, while suggesting opposition plays into China's hands regarding AI advancement.

This statement drew strong pushback from Kentucky officials and local organizers. Republican state Rep. Savannah Maddox of Dry Ridge countered that residents are not "stupid for wanting to protect our rural way of life," questioning if the push for data centers is more about private gain than a technology race. She warned that Trump's "tone deaf" messaging could harm Republicans in upcoming elections. Democratic state Rep. Adam Moore of Lexington, who unsuccessfully advocated for more data center regulations in 2026, criticized Republicans for prioritizing corporations over Kentuckians and for passing tax breaks for data centers.

Local resident Dana Hanson of Harrodsburg, a former Republican and Trump voter, who is organizing against a hyperscale data center in Mercer County, also condemned Trump's remarks. She stated that rural communities are not backward for demanding transparency and questioning the impact of handing over vast farmland for data centers. Hanson, who founded the Kentucky Transparency Project, emphasized that protecting land and resources is a non-partisan issue, calling for accountability from all parties and developers. The article also notes that Kentucky's General Assembly passed significant tax breaks in 2025 to attract data centers, which are now being questioned by some officials who want to roll them back.