Frictions are emerging between U.S. President Donald Trump and the Republican Party over the establishment of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers and trade negotiations between the United States and Canada.

Tensions are rising as some Republicans distance themselves from supporting data centers and voice criticism over the breakdown of trade talks ahead of the November midterm elections.

According to U.S. online media outlet Axios on the 23rd (local time), President Trump said in an interview with former aide Michael Cohen released that day, "Communities that do not accept data centers are making a mistake," adding, "Data centers create a tremendous amount of jobs and money."

President Trump also claimed that data centers do not strain the power grid, stating, "They are building their own power plants."

However, Axios pointed out that critical voices regarding data centers have begun to emerge within parts of the Republican Party.

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in an interview with ABC News that day that companies building data centers have failed to gain the support of local communities, stating, "They dug their own graves."

Mike Rogers, running for the U.S. Senate in Michigan—a key battleground state—from the Republican Party, stated that he supports a one-year moratorium on data center construction in the region.

Furthermore, some Republicans are now using the word "data center" as an epithet, positioning themselves as opponents of indiscriminate data center construction, according to the U.S. daily The New York Times (NYT).

This is a move following a recent surge in public opposition within local communities against the establishment of data centers.

According to a survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center last month, 61% of Americans opposed the establishment of new data centers in their residential areas.

This is an 11 percentage point increase compared to 49% in March.

While opposition was higher among Democrats at 69%, a majority of Republicans (54%) also turned out to oppose the establishment of data centers.

In a Gallup poll conducted in March, 71% of respondents expressed opposition, resulting in findings that opposition to data center construction is even more fierce than that to nuclear power plants.

Democrats have also begun attacking the Republican Party using data centers as a hook.

According to the NYT, Democratic candidates in key House battleground districts in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania have recently started airing advertisements criticizing data centers.

In connection with this, a document released last week by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) analyzing that "data centers are the biggest factor dragging down the Ohio Senate candidate" caused ripples.

Voices of dissent also emerged within parts of the Republican Party over the breakdown of trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada.

Susan Collins, a Republican senator from Maine bordering Canada, stated in a statement released regarding the breakdown of trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada, "The back-and-forth U.S.-Canada trade negotiations impose higher costs, risks, and uncertainty on Maine businesses," and urged, "Both sides should return to the negotiating table."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)