Trump says data centers maybe ‘could use a little public relations help’

President Donald Trump said if he were a mayor or governor, he would want to have data centers in his community.

Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images President Donald Trump on Wednesday acknowledged the backlash against data centers.

Trump said the benefits of data centers remain vast.

Politicians across the spectrum are increasingly channeling the data center backlash.

President Donald Trump says data centers might need a new image.

"I would say that maybe it could use a little public relations help," Trump told reporters on Wednesday after an event focused on cryptocurrency.

Trump made clear that, whatever the vibes might be, he remains a staunch supporter of the AI industry and the facilities AI companies will need to train and serve the expected demand of their future models.

"If I were a governor or a mayor, I would want that plant in my community, and many of them are designed in a very beautiful way," he said, adding that "the jobs are enormous, and the money paid, the taxes paid, are just enormous." Trump's comments come as governors across the political spectrum rein in incentives for data center construction amid a mounting backlash.

Tuesday illustrated just how much the conversation has shifted.

Pennsylvania Gov.

Josh Shapiro rolled out what he deemed the "strictest" standards for data center development due to what he said were "speculators" who he accused of "bullying" local officials to secure approval for data centers.

Earlier in the day, former NFL star and "New Heights Podcast" co-host Jason Kelce starred in an ad for his and his brother Travis' beer company, Garage Beer, in which he asked people to mail their pee to data centers . (Garage Beer, which partnered with the canned water brand Liquid Death on the campaign, cautioned it did not actually want people to mail their pee.) In the lead-up to November's midterm elections, being labeled pro-data center is quickly becoming a go-to attack line for both parties.

Trump said that communities and states that opt against data centers will be "left out," a message similar to his response earlier this summer when New York Gov.

Kathy Hochul signed the nation's first statewide data center moratorium.