'I was deceived': Rust Belt voters sour on Trump's AI data center push

Nvidia pledges up to $105 billion for Ohio AI data center, but locals fear higher electricity bills, not new jobs

US President Donald Trump dances at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday (local time). [AP]

Donald Trump won Ohio in three consecutive presidential elections on promises to revive American manufacturing and put blue-collar workers first — a message that resonated deeply in a state once defined by its steel industry.

But as Trump returned to Ohio on Monday (local time) to rally Republican support ahead of the midterm elections, some voters who once backed him are questioning whether his push to build an AI-driven industrial base will actually restore manufacturing jobs or ease their economic anxieties. Many fear it will only drive up electricity costs and deepen employment uncertainty.

According to The Washington Post, residents say they feel a growing disconnect between their own priorities — rising grocery prices, high housing costs and expensive gasoline — and the president's policy agenda. Some voters say that disconnect has widened as plans for new data centers multiply across Ohio, raising the question of who actually benefits from this new phase of American industrial growth.

The White House has defended its economic record, pointing to investment announcements from companies including Bayer, Honda and Create. Many of those investments could eventually generate jobs, though no hiring has taken place yet. Most prominently, Nvidia announced it would provide up to $105 billion to build a new AI data center for OpenAI in Pike County, Ohio.

Local residents, however, are skeptical. William Eikel, 26, of Niles, Ohio, said of Trump's push to promote the AI industry: "I absolutely despise AI and data centers. AI is going to take our jobs — what are we supposed to do after that? Fix the AI, I guess."

Eikel voted for Trump in the 2020 presidential election, saying he felt safe during the first Trump administration while serving in the military.

"Trump seems to see AI as a way to make more money," Eikel said. "But they're pouring billions of dollars into it. Where is all that money coming from? There are people starving here."

American boxer and influencer Jake Paul listens to US President Donald Trump speak at a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday (local time). [AFP]

Brian, 54, a die-hard Trump supporter who voted for him in all three presidential elections, expressed even deeper disillusionment. "I'm extremely disappointed in Trump," he said. "I was deceived."

Brian said he lost his job after working as a welder for about 25 years, watching steel mills shut down across the region, followed by auto plants. Some of his former factory coworkers, he said, now stock shelves at Walmart.

Brian is equally skeptical of the data center push. He does not trust Trump's promise that tech companies will cover the additional electricity costs required to power the facilities. "In the end, we're going to pay for all of this," he said. "We always do."

Residents share concerns about rising electricity bills and noise. Outside one home in Hubbard, Ohio, a Halloween skeleton decoration stood in the front yard holding a sign that read "No Data Centers."

The sentiment is reflected in polling as well. A recent joint survey by The New York Times and Siena College found that Ohio voters preferred Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown over Republican Sen. Jon Husted on handling the data center issue by 11 percentage points.

US President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at Butler High School in Vandalia, Ohio, on Oct. 3 (local time). [Reuters]

The same divide was on display when Trump visited Ohio on Oct. 3 to campaign for Husted. A crowd that had been enthusiastic at the start grew noticeably quiet once Trump began touting the economic benefits of data centers.

"We want data centers," Trump said. "Look, there's so much money to be made here in Ohio. You can't just stop it. If you do, the data centers will go to China."

Some Trump supporters also voiced concern about the prospect of war with Iran, questioning why the United States should again bear the cost of a Middle East conflict while Americans struggle economically at home.

Even one loyal supporter who argued that data centers are necessary said: "It seems like President Trump talks more about himself than about the actual issues. That's why I feel a bit put off right now."

mokiya@heraldcorp.com