Trump Claims Data Centers Could Be Bigger Than Oil, Pushes States to Accelerate AI Growth

Trump: data centres could be 'bigger than oil'

In a wide-ranging interview, President Donald Trump called artificial intelligence "bigger than the internet by many times" and said data centres could one day be worth more to America than oil. Speaking to Punchbowl News on its "Fly Out Day" show, Trump framed AI as a prize the US cannot afford to lose. "Whoever wins AI just wins. It's that big," he said. "It's bigger than the internet by many times." The line that drew attention was blunter still: "Data centres could be bigger than oil." The comparison was pointed. Trump said Texas, the heart of the US oil industry, was making a "mistake" in resisting data centres, and that other communities would welcome the money instead. He waved away complaints that the buildings are unsightly, calling some "the most incredible buildings I've ever seen". The energy doctrine Behind the boosterism sits a policy. Trump's answer to the strain data centres put on the grid is to let them build their own power. Under his plan, operators can add generation with fast-track approvals, feed spare electricity back to the grid, and behave like small utilities. Without it, he said, "we wouldn't have one building being built". Some of his claims stretch the facts. Trump said a data centre can need "more electricity than the entire nation uses", sometimes twice as much. No single site comes close. Data centres are a fast-growing but still minority slice of US power demand. The strain on the grid is real, yet not on the scale he described. The China frame Every argument looped back to Beijing. "We can't let China beat us at this," Trump said, tying AI leadership to cheap energy and claiming, without evidence, that China was funding the campaign against data centres. He said he would raise the issue with President Xi Jinping at a meeting in the coming weeks. The race is closer than the rhetoric. By one measure, China has narrowed the US lead in frontier AI to a record low. Trump credited America's position to fossil-fuelled power, and repeated his dislike of wind, which he called "a disaster". He made the same "can't let China have it" case for crypto. The pushback Not everyone is sold. New York has imposed a statewide pause on large data centres, a move Trump called a "terrible decision". Communities elsewhere have fought projects over water, power and rising bills. The White House has since leaned on developers to promise their build-outs will not push up local electricity prices. The "bigger than oil" line is a bet, not a fact. It assumes demand keeps climbing, the power arrives, and the returns follow. For now it captures how the administration sees the moment: AI as the next great American industry, and cheap energy as its fuel. Whether the country, and its grid, agree is another question.

Trump Says Data Centers Could Be Bigger Than Oil, Urges States to Cut Taxes and Accelerate AI Growth: 'If

President Donald Trump said on Friday that data centers could eventually become a bigger industry than oil, calling them significant for the U.S. economy. In an interview with Punchbowl, the President called data centers "tremendously important" for the economy and criticized Texas for opposing data centers, calling it a "mistake" and arguing they generate significant economic benefits. He said "data centers could be bigger than oil," and states should encourage their development by cutting taxes. "If I were governor, I would want data centers so badly. I'll cut taxes," he stated. Trump said there is strong global demand for data centers, warning that if the U.S. slows their development, other countries will benefit instead. He emphasized that restricting data centers would also hinder AI growth. "We are leading because of me. We're leading AI," Trump said. He elaborated, saying that he introduced a policy allowing companies building AI data centers to construct their own power generation facilities with fast-track approvals. He argued that this avoids straining the aging U.S. power grid, enables excess electricity to be fed back into the grid, and makes large-scale AI infrastructure projects economically viable while benefiting local communities. Trump said the U.S. cannot afford to lose the AI race to China, claiming many people believe China is backing efforts against the U.S. He added that he plans to discuss the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during an upcoming meeting, while asserting that China is trying to compete because it is falling behind the U.S. in AI. Big Tech Backs Trump's Power Plan Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.