Data Center Backlash Threatens AI Buildout in Midterms

Donald Trump's escalating conflict with Iran has not only exposed the limits of his foreign policy but also fractured the once-solid coalition of online influencers who propelled his 2024 victory. Figures like Joe Rogan, who previously hailed Trump as an unmatched alpha male capable of weathering any attack, now openly denounce the war as crazy and insane. Rogan has accused Trump of betraying his base with no coherent exit strategy, a sharp reversal that underscores the erosion of support among young men drawn to the president's image through podcasts and social media.

This shift in the manosphere reveals deeper vulnerabilities. During the 2024 campaign, networks of podcasters and shock jocks funneled messages to 18-to-30-year-old men, tapping into economic frustrations and cultural resentments with blunt appeals against perceived feminist overreach. The strategy delivered 56 percent of that demographic to Trump, flipping a group that leaned toward Democrats in 2020. Yet the realities of military entanglement have punctured the myth of invincibility, leaving influencers questioning Trump's judgment on issues from the Strait of Hormuz to domestic priorities.

The backlash extends beyond online spheres into the 2026 midterms, where voter anger over AI data centers is forcing candidates across parties to pivot. In Ohio, former Senator Sherrod Brown has targeted Republican Jon Husted as the embodiment of unchecked data center expansion, running ads that tie the projects to lost community control. Republican strategists privately fear a Husted defeat could deter similar investments nationwide. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, once eager to brand his state an AI hub, now backs restrictions on rural projects and trims tax breaks after Democrat Gina Hinojosa labeled the approach a regulatory free-for-all.

Similar recalibrations appear in Pennsylvania, where Governor Josh Shapiro added new oversight rules following Republican challenger Stacy Garrity's attacks on developer favoritism. In Wisconsin, GOP nominee Tom Tiffany runs spots against Democrat David Crowley on the same issue, aligning with progressive critics who oppose rapid buildouts. Even in Wyoming, primary results reflect the potency of local resistance to large-scale infrastructure.

These developments point to a broader populist revolt against elite-driven priorities, whether military adventurism or tech infrastructure that burdens communities with energy demands and environmental costs. Trump's former allies in the digital arena and Republican candidates courting AI growth both confront the same dynamic: voters rejecting top-down decisions that ignore tangible local impacts. The manosphere's disillusionment and the data center uproar together illustrate how Trump's image and Republican economic bets are unraveling under scrutiny from the very groups that once provided momentum.