- Trump says data centers are good for communities that create jobs and finance their own electricity/water
- New York State just banned major projects for a year to focus on developing new guidance
- Trump worries that ongoing bans could cause the US to lose out in the global AI race
US President Donald Trump has criticized New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recent executive order to impose a year-long statewide ban on hyperscale data centers, calling on the state to change its stance “immediately.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump characterized data centers as “money machines” that create taxes and jobs comparable to “liquid gold,” implying that they are essential not only to cloud computing and AI, but also to the nation’s economy.
Although states like “Alabama, Florida, Texas, Arizona” and others could now see more projects moved amid ongoing moratoriums, Trump worries about the implications of this “terrible decision.”
Trump hits back at New York State moratorium
The executive order, signed by Governor Hochul on July 14, 2026, makes New York the first US state to impose a statewide moratorium on new data centers – in this case, those requiring 50MW+ of power.
Despite growing local opposition to building data centers across the United States, and indeed the world, Trump claims they are “huge victories for the states and communities that are lucky enough to have them,” creating jobs and being responsible for “their own water and power.”
It’s important to note that the year-long New York State ban is just that—a temporary ban designed to buy the state enough time to consider environmental and social impacts and to rewrite legislation and guidance accordingly.
Urging Gov. Hochul to “change his policy immediately,” Trump argues that ongoing moratoriums like these could cause the U.S. to lose out to “China and other countries” in what is shaping up to be a global AI race.
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