President Donald Trump took the stage at a Dayton rally on Saturday, asserting that Ohio could reap “so much money” from new data‑centre projects and demanding that voters treat the midterm election as if he were on the ballot. He linked the expansion to a broader AI arms race, claiming the United States is ahead of China in “superintelligence” and that blocking the facilities would hand the rival country a competitive edge.
Trump lauded the Ratepayer Protection Act championed by Senator Jon Husted, saying the bill would stop data‑centres from driving up electricity costs for ordinary consumers and force them to pay for the infrastructure they consume. He added that nearly every Senate Democrat had voted to block the measure and vowed to sign it into law within 24 hours if Republicans keep the Senate majority.
Communities across Ohio have raised alarms about the strain on power grids, water supplies, and local land. Citizens worry that the high energy demand of data‑centres could lift their electric bills, while environmental groups fret about the water usage and noise that large facilities would bring.
The next major development will be the Senate debate over the Ratepayer Protection Act, and the November 3 midterm elections that will decide whether the GOP retains the Senate. Trump’s campaign stops in Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama will continue as he pushes the data‑centre narrative nationwide.