MAGA voters & LGBTQ+ activists become unlikely allies against Tr*mp’s AI agenda
He probably should have kept that to himself
Mark
If you needed proof that Tr*mp couldn’t be more out of touch with the rest of the country, look no further than the president’s recent, embarrassing foray into the data center discourse.
“If we kill the Golden Goose,” Tr*mp wrote today on Truth Social, “you will only have yourselves to blame.”
He was referring, if course, to the current culture war over AI data centers, implying that the only Americans who wouldn’t want to see the environmentally-unfriendly structures take over their neighborhoods are committed to being “poor and backwards.”
Which shows exactly how tone deaf the president actually is.
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In a recent poll, 3 out of 4 Americans claimed that they would oppose data centers in their local communities. That number includes over 80% of Democrats and two-thirds of Republican voters: the GOP even warned constituents last week that too much AI support could tank their already slim chances at staying above water after the November midterms.
But Tr*mp, out of touch as ever, doesn’t care about the Flock camera controversy or any other ominous surveillance threats posed by AI—and he’s losing followers for it. Not only did three-time Tr*mp voters tell NBC over the weekend that they’re “fed up” with his regime, since this morning’s pro-AI screed, even his Truth Social supporters are turning their backs on the 80-year-old president.
The message is clear: most Americans don’t want AI data centers to take precedence over basic necessities.
In addition to eating up valuable community resources (like clean water and power,) data centers pose an even greater existential threat to LGBTQ+ Americans, who face unique challenges in the current climate. This summer, GLAAD released a report about the specific harm AI perpetrates toward queer people, and the findings were stark.
A 2024 study showed that “Meta’s Llama 2 model generated negative content about gay people in approximately 70% of instances.” This bias, combined with the implications of AI-guided surveillance technology, is starting to look a whole lot like a police state for trans individuals, who are already subject to anti-trans legislation across the country that hinges on trans folks being “outed” as their birth gender via surveillance and whistleblowing.
The bias part could technically be corrected through more data collection from queer users. But as one reporter recently explained, for at-risk LGBTQ+ communities, “that data collection process can itself become a source of harm.”
Queer people are obviously not the only ones affected by Big AI. As we’ve seen in several high-profile AI CSAM scandals, legislation is just catching up to the reality of unchecked gen AI. It’s leaving the most vulnerable communities—including LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and children—at even worse risk.
You can see why even Tr*mp’s own Truth Social fanbase isn’t thrilled to see their leader go full speed ahead on yet another get-rich-quick scheme that lines his own pockets while leaving most Americans out in the cold.
“Horrendous messaging,” one poster wrote.
“I’d rather have clean water and less surveillance,” another noted.
For a pretty divided country, it seems like there’s one issue almost everyone can agree on: AI data centers are not, and should not, be the nation’s priority. By going against that belief, Tr*mp might have just sunk his presidency for good.
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