Trump’s Pollster Warns GOP Against ‘Unqualified Support’ for AI Data Centers As Opposition Remains High

President Donald Trump's longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio is advising Republican candidates to change how they talk about artificial intelligence data centers, warning that "unconditional support" for rapid expansion could create political challenges as voters raise concerns about electricity costs, water use and the impact on local communities.

In a two-page messaging memo obtained by Axios, Fabrizio provides Republican candidates with a strategy for responding to criticism over AI infrastructure projects. The guidance is aimed at helping candidates move from defending data centers to setting conditions for their approval as the debate over artificial intelligence investment expands across the country and opposition to them remains high.

The building of data centers and AI development as a whole have become a growing political issue. Communities near proposed projects have raised questions about energy consumption, strain on power grids, water usage, and whether residents will ultimately pay higher costs.

Fabrizio argues that Republicans should avoid offering broad support for additional data center construction without conditions. "Unqualified support for building more AI data centers is a losing position," Fabrizio wrote in a passage of the memo. The pollster specifically advised candidates against using the phrase, "I support building more data centers," warning that opponents could use the statement in campaign advertisements.

Instead, Fabrizio recommends that Republicans frame their position around requirements for technology companies to protect the communities the data centers are in. A key part of the strategy is making clear that those protections should be enforceable rather than voluntary promises from companies. "This converts the candidate from a defender of technology companies into the person imposing rules on them," Fabrizio wrote.

The memo outlines a three-step approach for candidates facing questions about data centers. The first step is to "Validate the concern. 'People are right to be concerned about data centers raising utility bills, straining the electrical grid, or consuming local water.'"

The second is "Draw the line. 'I will not support any project that forces families to subsidize it or lets a technology company damage the surrounding community.'" The third is "Then build. 'But if a company pays for the power and infrastructure it needs, protects ratepayers, safeguards local water, and accepts legally enforceable accountability, we should build here rather than surrender the future of artificial intelligence to China.'"

"The order matters," Fabrizio wrote, explaining that candidates should start by making voter concerns the starting point for evaluating projects rather than asking residents to accept potential costs in exchange for promised economic benefits.

Fabrizio also warned Republican candidates against relying on traditional arguments such as job creation or competition with China when discussing data centers. The memo advised against dismissing local opposition or defending individual projects before their financial and resource demands are fully understood.

Polling cited by Fabrizio shows voters are more supportive of data center construction when conditions are attached. His survey found that 61% of registered voters support allowing data centers to be built with requirements, while 28% favor banning them entirely. The same polling found that voters oppose additional data center construction without conditions by a 65% to 24% margin.

Trump has continued to strongly promote data center expansion, arguing that the facilities will create wealth, strengthen states, and help the United States compete in technology. "I'm telling you, it's all a hoax. The data centers are great, and they make people wealthy, and they make states wealthy, and it's the oil of the next 20, 25 years," Trump said Monday.