---
source_url: https://politifact.com/article/2026/sep/23/china-influence-data-center-opposition/
---

Is US data center opposition a ‘China PR thing,’ as Trump says? Experts say that’s exaggerated
President Donald Trump attempted to discredit widespread opposition to U.S. data centers by chalking the backlash up to a foreign adversary: China.
“You know, a lot of people say that it’s a China PR thing,” Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on [Sept. 10](https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-interview-laura-ingraham-fox-news-september-10-2026/) in response to a question about why people don’t want data centers in their backyards.
Trump was set to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Washington on Thursday amid increased pressure for the U.S. government to regulate AI following [breaches from automated agents](https://politifact.com/article/2026/aug/31/ai-agents-rogue-openai-hugging-face/) and [high-level concerns](https://politifact.com/factchecks/2026/sep/22/donald-trump/united-nations-artificial-intelligence-hoax-russia/) of existential risks. Trump has characterized such fears as a “hoax.”
He is not alone in pinning local disapproval to external influence, mainly from China.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has blamed pushback on data center buildout on “[foreign source dark money](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUhViG9-ekc),” “[foreign psy-ops campaigns](https://x.com/atrupar/status/2099488199785488796)” and “[foreign-directed propaganda](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/05/29/shark-tank-kevin-oleary-claims-china-stirred-data-center-protests/).”
“There’s a concentrated information propaganda war that’s geotargeted,” Burgum said [in May](https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6396648175112) on Fox Business. “Any place that’s trying to build data centers is getting bombarded with foreign-directed propaganda to try to block these from being built.”
In Congress, Republican [lawmakers](https://d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net/2026_06_04_Letter_to_PCAST_and_FBI_on_Foreign_Influence_AI_Data_Centers_99f6aa6cda.pdf) asked the FBI and the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology in June for a briefing on how the administration will respond to foreign influence campaigns and “billionaire-backed activism” against U.S. AI development and infrastructure buildout.
Two other House Republicans [in September](https://science.house.gov/2026/9/babin-mccormick-probe-foreign-influence-in-u-s-ai-and-energy-policy) asked environmental groups to provide information related to foreign funding and influence in AI and energy infrastructure policy.
Behind these statements are reports about Chinese influence campaigns that attempt to boost data center concerns in the U.S. But the politicians exaggerate the effect that these campaigns had on a movement that has reached Americans of all political stripes across nearly every state.
“A political movement that stretches from Bernie Sanders to Steve Bannon isn’t the result of some mystical power China wields over the American people,” said Mitch Jones, managing director of policy and litigation for Food & Water Watch, an advocacy group that opposes data centers.
Reports looked at funding links, but ‘distort’ facts on organic movement
Claims about China influencing the data center debate ramped up during the summer.
Television personality Kevin O’Leary, who is a proponent of a data center buildout in Utah, said in May that he had [evidence](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/15/us/kevin-oleary-data-center-lawsuit.html?eafs_enabled=false) of “two cells inside of Utah” being involved in foreign influence, specifically naming the nonprofits Elevate Strategies and the Alliance for a Better Utah.
“These are proxies for the Chinese government,” he said on Fox Business.
The two organizations and their founders sued him for defamation, and he later recanted his statements. Fox News hosts also [apologized](https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-oleary-data-center-apology-fox-news-china-opponents-claim-2026-6) on air.
“Recently I appeared on various news programs and would like to clarify that I have no evidence that Alliance for a Better Utah, Elevate Strategies, Gabrielle Finlayson, Taylor Knuth or Josh Kanter are funded by China or the Chinese Communist Party,” O’Leary [posted](https://x.com/kevinolearytv/status/2070227278169059350) on X June 25.
The Republican lawmakers’ June letter cited reports by Power the Future, an energy advocacy group, and the Bitcoin Policy Institute, a cryptocurrency advocacy group.
An April [Power the Future](https://www.powerthefuture.com/wp-content/uploads/PTF_ManufacturedOutrage_Rev3.pdf) report said the environmental group Sierra Club was under investigation for secretly receiving funding from China and Russia. It linked to a [2020 report](https://freebeacon.com/national-security/epa-requests-doj-investigate-foreign-funding-of-environmental-groups/) about the Environmental Protection Agency asking the Justice Department to investigate whether U.S. environmental groups received covert funding from those nations. We did not find evidence that Sierra Club was formally investigated or charged.
In May, the Bitcoin Policy Institute released [an](https://www.btcpolicy.org/articles/foreign-influence-in-the-campaign-against-american-ai) [investigation](https://www.btcpolicy.org/articles/china-aligned-ground-game-stalled-or-blocked-23-6-billion-in-american-ai-infrastructure) naming multiple ways in which it says China is influencing U.S. discourse about data centers. Influence actors are using English-language Chinese propaganda outlets, a network of nonprofits and media outlets and foreign billionaires to “shape U.S. policy and public opinion” on AI, it said. It cited reporting by a state broadcaster and a newspaper run by the Chinese Communist Party that blamed AI data centers for increasing energy prices in the U.S.
The author of the report, Sam Lyman, acknowledged to [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/business/china-russia-ai-data-centers.html?eafs_enabled=false) that “there is an organic opposition to data centers.” He said the activity his group documented was a parallel “inorganic element.”
Darren Linvill, Clemson University professor and co-director of its media forensics hub, said such reports distort facts to support a misleading narrative.
“China has an extensive state media apparatus that they use for a range of propaganda and influence operations, but we don’t see a particular focus on this issue from Chinese state media,” Linvill said. “Chinese state media mostly wants to talk about how great Chinese AI technology is, which is typical of their purpose.”
Jessica Brandt, Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow for technology and national security, said foreign actors exploit the data center debate; they don’t manufacture it.
“That’s what they do — work to amplify splits that already exist in our society. Evidence of an attempt is not evidence of success,” she said. “Their goal is to divide us, distract us, and prevent us from playing a forward-leaning role in the world that might constrain their interests.”
Alethea, a digital threat intelligence company, [found](https://alethea.com/insights/how-state-actors-and-ai-slop-are-amplifying-data-center-revolt) that Russia and Iran have also pushed anti-data center messaging through state media.
Tech companies found Chinese influence campaigns on social media, with little reach
OpenAI, one of the top U.S. AI companies, has also pointed to Chinese influence in the AI debate, though its findings fell far short of what Trump and others described.
The company released a June [report](https://cdn.openai.com/pdf/96b559fa-c165-4575-805d-e636909e2f78/June-2026-Threat-Report.pdf) saying it banned two groups of ChatGPT accounts likely coming from China. Those accounts used OpenAI models for influence operations “that promoted narratives in an attempt to manipulate a legitimate debate about American AI and wider tech policies.”
One group used ChatGPT to make social media content promoting the claim that AI data center construction projects were driving up electricity prices. One example was a comic strip showing a man in a suit holding bags of money, while a family says, “Why are our electric bills so high?”
OpenAI models are not available in China; the company said the operators used virtual private networks, or VPNs, which mask the user’s location.
OpenAI said the campaign was a flop.
“The operation sought to exploit and amplify existing public concerns about energy prices and local impacts of data center development, but we found no evidence of meaningful breakout beyond its own activity,” the report read.
The X Safety Team [said](https://x.com/GlobalAffairs/status/2093130747796148634) in August that it identified 200 automated accounts “posting in a manner that could manipulate a legitimate debate about American AI and energy policy.”
The X Safety team conducted an investigation into suspected Chinese inauthentic accounts involved in influence operations:
We identified a bot farm of approximately 200,000 accounts. Within this farm, we found 200 accounts posting in a manner that could manipulate a legitimate…
[pic.twitter.com/Mj0SqerdlH]— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs)
[August 28, 2026]
Linvill said the campaigns that OpenAI and X found overlap. His team identified 70 accounts that appeared in both sets, and found that the accounts had no followers and no engagement before they were suspended.
He said the use of bots aligns with how Chinese operators have conducted influence campaigns in the past. “But if this were a topic they actually wanted to influence, we would see far more than 200 accounts,” he said.
Multiple surveys and reports show the growth of the data center opposition movement
As tech companies seek to build more data centers across the U.S., grass-roots opposition has grown.
Three in five U.S. adults (61%) oppose data center construction in their area, according to a [survey](https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/opposition-to-local-data-centers-rises-sharply-annenberg-survey-finds/) of 1,320 U.S. adults from June to July by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. That represents an increase of 12 percentage points from the group’s February to March survey (49%). The opposition was felt among the majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents, the center found.
An August [Data Center Opposition report](https://datacenteropposition.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/August-2026-DCOR1.pdf) — released by the Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development, Evitable and Together Against AI — found 580 local opposition groups across nearly every state, with a collective membership of 640,000. These groups largely organize on Facebook, the report said.
The Data Center Watch, a research project by AI security company 10a Labs, [reported](https://www.datacenterwatch.org/q2-2026) that 45 projects, worth almost $68 billion, have been blocked or delayed in the second quarter of 2026.
Jones said he is seeing the growth in polling.
“People are organically drawn to this campaign by their real fears of what data centers will do to their communities,” said Jones. “Whether it’s the increased electricity rates, the increase in water rates or in some cases silting of wells, the destruction of wood and farmland, these are real issues that people see.”
PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.
RELATED:[Did you know most of your daily online activities rely on data centers? Here’s how it works](https://politifact.com/article/2026/aug/17/what-is-ai-data-centers-electricity-water/)
RELATED: [Sam Altman exaggerates water use for growing an almond, 38,000 ChatGPT queries](https://politifact.com/factchecks/2026/sep/04/sam-altman/chatgpt-almonds-ai-california-water-useage/)
Our Sources
Interview with Mitch Jones, Food & Water Watch managing director of policy and litigation, Sept. 21. 2026
Interview with Darren Linvill, Clemson University professor and co-director of the Watt Family Innovation Center Media Forensics Hub, Sept. 18, 2026
Interview with Jessica Brandt, Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow for technology and national security, Sept. 18, 2026
Roll Call Factbase, [Interview: Laura Ingraham Interviews Donald Trump on Fox’s The Ingraham Angle – September 10, 2025](https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-interview-laura-ingraham-fox-news-september-10-2026/)
PolitiFact, [AI agents are hacking without human oversight. How did we get here?](https://politifact.com/article/2026/aug/31/ai-agents-rogue-openai-hugging-face/), Aug. 31, 2026
PolitiFact, [AI safety warnings aren’t only coming from the left, despite Trump’s dismissal](http://ecks/2026/sep/22/donald-trump/united-nations-artificial-intelligence-hoax-russia/), Sept. 22, 2026
YouTube video by Breitbart News, [LIVE: ‘Harnessing American Power’ Breitbart News Speaks with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum…](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUhViG9-ekc), May 11, 2026
[X post by Aaron Rupar](https://x.com/atrupar/status/2099488199785488796), Sept. 14, 2026
The Washington Post, [Amid data center protests, a billionaire and the Trump administration see a foreign plot](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/05/29/shark-tank-kevin-oleary-claims-china-stirred-data-center-protests/), May 29, 2026
Fox Business, [Trump’s energy push faces Iran crisis as AI power demand explodes](https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6396648175112), May 26, 2026
Rep. Brett Guthrie, Rep. John Joyce, Rep. Bob Latta, [Letter to David Sacks, Kash Patel, Michael Kratsios](https://d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net/2026_06_04_Letter_to_PCAST_and_FBI_on_Foreign_Influence_AI_Data_Centers_99f6aa6cda.pdf), June 4, 2026
House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, [Babin, McCormick Probe Foreign Influence in U.S. AI and Energy Policy](https://science.house.gov/2026/9/babin-mccormick-probe-foreign-influence-in-u-s-ai-and-energy-policy), Sept. 10, 2026
The New York Times, [‘Shark Tank’ Star Is Sued by Opponents He Claimed Were Foreign Agents](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/15/us/kevin-oleary-data-center-lawsuit.html?eafs_enabled=false), July 15, 2026
Business Insider, [Fox News apologizes for airing Kevin O’Leary’s claim that his Utah data center opponents are Chinese government proxies](https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-oleary-data-center-apology-fox-news-china-opponents-claim-2026-6), June 29, 2026
Kevin O’Leary,[ X post](https://x.com/kevinolearytv/status/2070227278169059350), June 25, 2026
Power the Future, [Manufactured Outrage: How National Environmental Activists Are Spending Millions to Elect Democrats, Block Data Centers, and Undermine President Trump’s Pro-Growth Agenda](https://www.powerthefuture.com/wp-content/uploads/PTF_ManufacturedOutrage_Rev3.pdf), April 2026
Washington Free Beacon, [EPA Requests DOJ Investigate Foreign Funding of Environmental Groups](https://freebeacon.com/national-security/epa-requests-doj-investigate-foreign-funding-of-environmental-groups/), Oct. 27, 2020
Bitcoin Policy Institute, [Foreign Influence in the Campaign against American AI, Part I: Vectors of Foreign Influence](https://www.btcpolicy.org/articles/foreign-influence-in-the-campaign-against-american-ai), May 18, 2026
Bitcoin Policy Institute, [New Report: China-Aligned ‘Ground Game’ Stalled or Blocked $23.6 Billion in American AI Infrastructure](https://www.btcpolicy.org/articles/china-aligned-ground-game-stalled-or-blocked-23-6-billion-in-american-ai-infrastructure), June 29, 2026
The New York Times, [China, Russia and Others Seek to Inflame Debate Over A.I. Data Centers](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/business/china-russia-ai-data-centers.html?eafs_enabled=false), July 9, 2026
Alethea, [All Politics are Local, Until There’s a Foreign Megaphone: How State Actors & AI Slop Are Amplifying the Homegrown Data Center Revolt Ahead of the Midterms](https://alethea.com/insights/how-state-actors-and-ai-slop-are-amplifying-data-center-revolt), July 9, 2026
OpenAI, [PRC-linked influence operations are targeting AI debates in the US](https://cdn.openai.com/pdf/96b559fa-c165-4575-805d-e636909e2f78/June-2026-Threat-Report.pdf), June 2026
X Global Government Affairs,[ X post](https://x.com/GlobalAffairs/status/2093130747796148634), Aug. 27, 2026
Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania,[Opposition to Local Data Centers Rises Sharply, Annenberg Survey Finds](https://www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/opposition-to-local-data-centers-rises-sharply-annenberg-survey-finds/), Aug. 11, 2026
Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development, Evitable and Together Against AI, [Data Center Opposition Report](https://datacenteropposition.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/August-2026-DCOR1.pdf), August 2026
10a Labs’ Data Center Watch, [Q2 2026: Data Center Watch Report](https://www.datacenterwatch.org/q2-2026), accessed Sept. 23, 2026