{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-data-center-critics-backwards-and-poor","slug":"trump-calls-data-center-critics-backwards-and-poor","url":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-data-center-critics-backwards-and-poor","title":"Trump calls data center critics 'backwards and poor'","subtitle":"Republican congressman Tim Burchett pushes back on former president's remarks as public opposition to AI facilities grows.","excerpt":"Donald Trump stated that communities opposing AI data centers would become 'backwards and poor.' Republican Rep. Tim Burchett responded that he must be 'backwards and poor' for his apprehension. Public opposition to data centers is high, with polls showing over 70% of Americans against them.","category":"Politics","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T18:05:11.315Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-09-01T16:53:59.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-01T18:05:11.315Z","readTime":"4 min read","scores":{"trust":55,"critic":55,"hype":25,"notes":{"trust":"Two full reports corroborate key claims; digests add breadth but not depth.","critic":"Quotes and figures present; some repetition across digests.","hype":"Headlines overstate conflict; body tempers tone."}},"tags":["#AIDataCenters","#DonaldTrump","#TimBurchett","#FrankKloucek","#PublicOpinion","#USPolitics"],"entities":["Donald Trump","Tim Burchett","Frank Kloucek","Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez","Gallup","Fox News"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Donald Trump stated that communities opposing AI data centers would become 'backwards and poor.'","Republican Rep. Tim Burchett responded that he must be 'backwards and poor' for his apprehension.","Public opposition to AI data centers is high, with polls showing over 70% of Americans against them.","Democratic candidate Frank Kloucek called for a one-year moratorium on AI data center development."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Former President Donald Trump stated that communities opposing the construction of artificial intelligence data centers would end up 'backwards and poor.' Republican Representative Tim Burchett, who has often allied with Trump, responded that he supposed he was 'backwards and poor' for being apprehensive about the facilities. Burchett told a reporter that the public had been poorly educated about the data centers and that more local control was needed."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Trump encouraged communities to accept large data centers, which are massive computing facilities that power AI. He wrote on Truth Social that those who want to be 'successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place' will 'let Data Reign.' He also warned, 'If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame.'"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Concerns about data centers include their use of energy and water, potential strain on the electrical grid, and impact on local economies and the environment. A March Gallup poll found 71% of U.S. respondents opposed AI data centers in their communities. A Fox News poll in July found 70% of respondents opposed them, including 53% of MAGA Republicans."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Frank Kloucek, a Democratic candidate for the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, called for a one-year moratorium on AI data center development. He stated that South Dakota should not become a testing ground for billion-dollar AI data centers while families and farmers are left wondering who will pay the bill. Kloucek said large data centers can require enormous amounts of electricity and water and may necessitate costly new infrastructure."},{"type":"heading","text":"Disagreement on data center impact"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Donald Trump asserted that communities opposing data centers would become 'backwards and poor,' and that those who want to be 'successful and rich' will 'let Data Reign.' The Independent reported that Trump also said those who oppose data centers help rival China. Dakota Free Press reported that Kloucek stated data centers may impoverish rural communities and that ratepayers should not be forced to subsidize private developments."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the left or centre-rated reports mentioned the National Republican Senatorial Committee memo warning Senator Jon Husted of Ohio that the politics around data centers could impact his election, as reported by The Independent. The unrated report from whereisthebuzz.com did not mention the Gallup or Fox News poll findings on public opposition to data centers."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"The Independent","url":"https://independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/tim-burchett-data-centers-trump-b3042866.html","headline":"MAGA lawmaker calls himself ‘backwards and poor’ for opposing data center push","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T16:53:59.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Independent (US)","url":"https://the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/tim-burchett-data-centers-trump-b3042866.html","headline":"MAGA lawmaker calls himself ‘backwards and poor’ for opposing data center push","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T16:53:59.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija","url":"https://lrt.lt/naujienos/mokslas-ir-it/11/3039330/trumpas-di-duomenu-centru-statybu-priesininkai-nori-buti-atsilike-ir-skurstantys","headline":"Trump: Opponents of AI Data Center Construction Want to Be 'Backward and Poor'","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T14:11:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Raw Story","url":"https://rawstory.com/tim-burchett-2677803124","headline":"MAGA rep flings Trump smear back in his face: 'Guess I'm backwards and poor'","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T14:08:15.000Z"},{"sourceName":"heatmap.news","url":"https://heatmap.news/am/trump-data-centers-climate-superfund","headline":"Trump Says Data Center Opponents ‘Want to End Up Being Backwards and Poor’","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T13:04:22.000Z"},{"sourceName":"whereisthebuzz.com","url":"https://whereisthebuzz.com/?p=94675","headline":"Rep. Anna Paulina Luna On Trump Calling Data Center Critics \"Backwards And Poor\": \"Leave It For The People To Decide\"","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T12:40:48.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Dakota Free Press","url":"https://dakotafreepress.com/2026/09/01/man-of-the-people-kloucek-supports-one-year-moratorium-on-data-centers-trump-out-of-touch","headline":"Man of the People: Kloucek Supports One-Year Moratorium on Data Centers; Trump Out of Touch","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T12:34:31.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":67,"centre":33,"right":0},"count":{"left":4,"centre":2,"right":0},"totalSources":7,"untracked":1,"rated":6,"observedAt":"2026-09-01T19:00:33.017484+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-09-01T19:15:24.766Z","closedAt":null,"checks":5,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["The left-rated reports focused on Republican Representative Tim Burchett’s response to Donald Trump’s remarks. The Independent and Raw Story highlighted Burchett’s statement that he must be 'backwards and poor' for opposing data centers. The Independent also included a quote from Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez suggesting a data center be built at Mar-a-Lago. Heatmap.news reported Trump’s statement that data center opponents 'want to end up being backwards and poor'."],"centre":["The centre-rated reports highlighted Donald Trump’s statement that opponents of AI data centers want to be 'backward and poor.' Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija reported Trump’s assertion that opponents would become 'backward and poor' and help rival China. Dakota Free Press focused on Democratic candidate Frank Kloucek’s call for a one-year moratorium on AI data center development, stating that data centers may impoverish rural communities and that ratepayers should not subsidize private developments."],"right":[],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"right","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"mixed":1,"high":4,"unknown":2},"ownershipDistribution":{"government":1,"independent":2,"corporation":2},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"Dakota Free Press","url":"https://dakotafreepress.com/2026/09/01/man-of-the-people-kloucek-supports-one-year-moratorium-on-data-centers-trump-out-of-touch","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T12:34:31.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom","count":2},{"country":"New York, New York, United States","count":1},{"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","count":1},{"country":"Vilnius, Vilnius city municipality, Vilnius County, Lithuania","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"Dakota Free Press","url":"https://dakotafreepress.com/2026/09/01/man-of-the-people-kloucek-supports-one-year-moratorium-on-data-centers-trump-out-of-touch","headline":"Man of the People: Kloucek Supports One-Year Moratorium on Data Centers; Trump Out of Touch","publishedAt":"2026-09-01T12:34:31.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"whereisthebuzz.com","url":"https://whereisthebuzz.com/?p=94675","headline":"Rep. 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It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Trump calls data center critics 'backwards and poor'\", https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-data-center-critics-backwards-and-poor","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-data-center-critics-backwards-and-poor","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-data-center-critics-backwards-and-poor","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-calls-data-center-critics-backwards-and-poor","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-calls-data-center-critics-backwards-and-poor.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}