Trump calls Texas data centre pause a mistake after Abbott halts approvals

Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a statewide pause on approvals for new data centres on 5 August 2026. The decision followed concerns about the strain on the state’s power grid and water supplies. Data centres, which support artificial intelligence and cloud computing, have expanded rapidly in Texas, drawing scrutiny over their resource demands.

President Donald Trump criticised Abbott’s decision in an interview published on 8 August 2026. Trump called the opposition to data centres a mistake, arguing that the industry could generate more economic value than oil. He said that if he were a governor, he would want the centres in his state. The comments came days after Abbott’s pause took effect.

Abbott defended the pause, citing the need to ensure data centres do not compromise Texas’s power and water infrastructure. The governor’s office has not set a timeline for lifting the pause or outlined specific conditions for resuming approvals. The policy applies to all new data centre projects seeking grid connections.

What the coverage left out

None of the digests from right-rated outlets carried the story. The nine digests available did not include any estimate of how many data centre projects were affected by Abbott’s pause or how much power or water they would require. No digest reported whether the pause applied to projects already under review or only to new applications.