A growing coalition of religious leaders, labor unions and local activists is challenging the rapid rollout of artificial intelligence, complicating President Donald Trump’s efforts to champion data centers and reassure voters about energy costs. At an EPA event, Mr. Trump urged governors to court AI infrastructure while highlighting industry pledges not to raise electricity rates—assurances that give tech companies political cover even as grid upgrades loom. Evangelical voices such as Walter Kim have echoed recent papal warnings about AI’s social risks, and labor leaders including AFL-CIO’s Liz Shuler and the Teamsters’ Sean O’Brien are pressing for worker-first guardrails. Public skepticism is broad: a Yale survey shows majorities, including 53% of conservative Republicans, oppose local data-center construction, and New York has moved to pause such projects. The backlash threatens to become a midterm liability for Republicans if voters conclude AI’s gains accrue to Big Tech rather than households, despite record-setting gains in tech-heavy indexes.
Analysis: A potent anti-AI alliance is taking shape in Trump’s political blind spot
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