Trump urges data centers to strike deals with communities, pay dividends

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged operators of large artificial intelligence data centers to strike financial agreements with local communities and pay them dividends to ease public backlash over rising energy costs.

"If companies want to make their data centers popular, pay the community, and/or individuals within the community, a 'dividend,'" Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, arguing that projects facing fierce local opposition quickly gain acceptance once direct economic pacts are reached.

Trump said facilities must produce their own power rather than draining public utilities. He maintained that new and large data centers are required to "make their own electricity, and give or sell any excess back to the local community, or grid," asserting that such measures would prevent utility inflation and potentially yield "a substantial decrease" in electricity rates.

The US has more than 5,000 data centers, with facilities projected to expand roughly 9% annually through 2030, according to the US Department of Commerce.

The directive comes amid escalating friction over power consumption driven by the artificial intelligence boom ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Public surveys show strong bipartisan opposition, with a Gallup poll finding 71% of Americans resisting local developments over concerns that facilities will inflate residential utility bills.

The policy builds upon Trump's voluntary Ratepayer Protection Pledge established in March, which called on technology firms to cover all power generation and transmission costs.