Trump slams Hochul over halt to New York data center construction

Trump the president urged an immediate reversal, warning that jobs and tax revenue tied to the projects would flow to Alabama, Florida, Texas and Arizona.

First Published: July 15, 2026, 8:57 AM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump accused New York Governor Kathy Hochul of driving away data centers he called engines of jobs and state revenue.

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “One of the biggest Driving Forces in the Future for Jobs, are Data Centers. They are big, strong, bold, and Money Machines for the State in which they are built. Governor Kathy Hochul, for political reasons, has terminated all Data Centers being built, or to be built, in New York State. These Companies are now being sought in Alabama, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and many other States. Both the Taxes and the Jobs amount to LIQUID GOLD! New York State has made a terrible decision. All of this Income, and other Benefits, will be going to Red States, and some Blue, where Data Centers are sought as Cash Cows, with Lower Taxes and Record Setting Jobs. They must pay for their own Water and Power, and any leftover goes back to the State and local Community. Data Centers are tremendous WINS for the States and Communities that are lucky enough to get them. New York should change its Policy, IMMEDIATELY. The Radical Left Dumocrats must not be allowed to cause us to lose Data Centers, AI, and all of this incredible new Technology, to China, and other countries! Trump”

Trump, the 47th president of the United States, made the claim in a Truth Social post on July 15, 2026 at 12:39 PM ET. He said the facilities generate taxes and jobs that amount to “LIQUID GOLD” and warned that New York’s stance would send the benefits to competing states. Trump singled out Hochul, a Democrat who has led New York since 2021, arguing she halted the projects “for political reasons.”

The stakes center on where the next wave of computing infrastructure lands. States that win the projects gain construction jobs, property tax receipts and long-term operating spending, while states that decline them forfeit that revenue to rivals. The federal government projects that artificial intelligence will reshape a majority of American jobs within three years, a shift that has intensified competition for the plants that house the servers (see 92q.com).

Data centers carry heavy costs alongside the promised gains. The buildings draw large volumes of electricity and water for cooling, straining local grids and utilities that neighbors also depend on. Trump said the operators “must pay for their own Water and Power,” framing the facilities as self-funding assets rather than public burdens.

The scale of the industry rivals that of major public utilities in the regions courting it, with individual campuses consuming power comparable to small cities. That footprint explains why Alabama, Florida, Texas and Arizona have moved to attract the developers Trump described.

For the average reader, the fight touches electricity bills, local tax rates and the location of new construction work. A community that lands a project may see rising employment and infrastructure spending, while nearby residents could face higher demand on water and power systems.

Has this happened before? Yes, governors and presidents have clashed over where large industrial projects should be built, and technology firms have long shopped for the lowest taxes and cheapest power before choosing a site. Companies have repeatedly relocated planned facilities across state lines when local policy shifted against them.

The next move rests with Hochul and New York state officials, who would need to revise the policy Trump criticized. A date for any decision has not been announced.

Presidential pressure on a governor over industrial siting is not new. Andrew Carnegie built his steel empire around Pittsburgh in the late 19th century, choosing sites near cheap coal and river transport, and the Carnegie operations helped form U.S. Steel in 1901, then the largest company in the world (see britannica.com). The lesson from that era held that whichever region secured the era-defining industry captured the jobs and wealth for generations that followed.