Hassett said the president respects local decisions to reject data center projects and described the industry as having significant room to grow. Ballotpedia's tally found majorities favored tighter limits in at least 46 of roughly 50 local data center ballot measures in 2026.
Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said President Donald Trump respects communities that choose not to host data centers. In an earlier CNBC interview, Hassett said local votes would leave near-term project timetables intact. He expected later development to be stronger in states whose governors are more receptive to data centers. Hassett also suggested local views may change as residents weigh the facilities’ benefits.
The administration has framed domestic data center construction as important to U.S. competition in artificial intelligence. CNBC’s Voter Poll found 56% of midterm voters considered data centers a crucial or major issue. Among respondents who called the issue crucial, 62% favored the generic Democratic candidate, according to EconoTimes’ earlier coverage of ballot results, expansion expectations and voter attitudes.
