Trump is betting big on AI and data centers ahead of the midterms, and it is backfiring with voters across the spectrum, including his own MAGA base.

• Trump posted that fears about AI and data centers are a hoax like climate change, and that opponents are "backwards and poor" or falling for Chinese propaganda.
• Polls show most Americans oppose new data centers near them, and two-thirds see at least a moderate risk that AI could destroy humanity — a view shared evenly by Trump and Harris voters.
• On Truth Social, comments trashing AI and data centers outnumbered supportive ones nearly 4 to 1, many from otherwise loyal Trump supporters.
• Inside the White House, Susie Wiles and Scott Bessent are pushing for more AI guardrails, while David Sacks, Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, and Elon Musk lobby Trump to avoid regulation.
• Musk publicly called for an AI slowdown while privately pushing Trump against rules, and OpenAI's PAC spends heavily to block regulation despite Sam Altman's calls for oversight.

Outlook: With Trump calling the midterms a referendum on himself while backing unpopular positions on AI, gas prices, housing, and Iran, Republicans face growing electoral risk in November.