Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggested on Monday that a company should build an AI data center near the Mar-a-Lago resort. This comment follows recent remarks from President Trump regarding the economic future of communities that choose to oppose the construction of these facilities. The President stated on Monday that communities resisting the development of AI data centers will suffer negative economic consequences. He claimed the only reason a community would reject these projects is if they want to end up being backwards and poor. In a post on Truth Social, the President wrote, “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign. The good news is that there are plenty of other places that want them.” Ocasio-Cortez responded to these comments while speaking with Pablo Manríquez of MeidasTouch on Capitol Hill, as reported by The Hill. She said, “How about we put one in Mar-a-Lago? I love that. Let’s put a data center up in Mar-a-Lago, we’ll see how backwards and poor he is in response to that.” The debate over data center construction location is already playing out in Florida A company called Cloud South currently operates a data center less than 2 miles from Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. However, the path for new developments is not guaranteed. Palm Beach County commissioners voted against a different AI data center proposal last month, which means the team behind Project Tango must now resubmit its plans for review. PabloReports: What do you make of Trump saying Americans who oppose data centers are backwards and poor?AOC: I mean, how about we put one in Mar-a-Lago? I love that. Let’s put a data center at Mar-a-Lago, and we’ll see how backwards and poor he is in response to that. pic.twitter.com/QzEyhU3xdZ— Acyn (@Acyn) August 31, 2026 Public sentiment appears to be leaning against these projects. A survey conducted by Fox News last month found that 70 percent of respondents opposed the construction of an AI data center in their own area. This opposition crosses party lines, as it includes 6 in 10 Republicans and more than three-fourths of Democrats. President Trump has maintained that the United States must win the AI race against China. On Monday, he suggested that China could not be happier with this anti-Data Center movement in the U.S., adding that Chinese leaders can’t believe it is happening. The President previously told reporters that if he were a mayor or a governor, he would want to have the data centers because they bring tremendous income. He has also acknowledged that some people feel differently about the issue, providing Republican candidates some wiggle room on the topic. Not everyone in his own party agrees with his assessment. Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee pushed back against the President’s comments on Monday. After the President’s remarks about being backwards and poor, Burchett told Manríquez, “I guess I’m backwards and poor.” Burchett argued, “We need more local control. We should have brought everybody to the table.” He also suggested that companies could look into building data centers on military installations rather than placing them directly inside local communities.