WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said it’s “OK with me” if Republicans oppose data centers, which are one of his top priorities in the technological competition with China but also a bipartisan political flashpoint.

Data centers, which house the servers and networking equipment that powers artificial intelligence and other digital services, have set off a firestorm of criticism in communities nationwide. Some states and local governments are responding with new rules and oversight efforts.

Trump said communities should want the data centers because he argued they bring jobs, income and lower taxes. But he said he does not mind if Republican candidates disagree. 

“I want them to do what they want. Some people feel differently,” he said. “If a Republican’s against a data center, that’s OK with me.”

Industry advocates argued that data centers are essential for technological innovation. But environmentalists and other critics contend data centers consume large amounts of water and energy, generate noise and electronic waste and create relatively few long-term jobs.

Trump has blasted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul‘s new moratorium blocking data centers. And he has announced that 23 governors have signed his pledge that seeks to protect households from absorbing utility costs by having data centers generate their own electricity.

“Not every location’s perfect for it, but you pick the right location, what it means for a community is jobs, lots of money and lower taxes,” Trump told reporters Aug. 21. “They’re going to build their own electric producing facilities, and that electricity that they have left over, is going to the grid.”