Betraying the MAGA Base with Big Tech Cronyism
On June 18, 2026, federal regulators under the Trump administration unanimously voted to fast-track power hookups for AI data centers on a national grid already stretched thin and struggling to serve ordinary families.[1] This warp speed approach to data center expansion was never a core part of the MAGA platform sold to voters during the election. Yet here we are again with Trump and his allies in Big Tech rushing these projects forward. This is a blatant betrayal of Americans through Big Tech cronyism. Trump talks tough on elites but acts like best buddies with the Silicon Valley giants who stand to profit enormously from this boom, while everyday Americans will suffer higher energy costs and blackouts.
What’s the Big Rush? We already have more data centers than China and the next 29 largest countries combined. Number of Data Centers by Country (November 2025) | Cargoson
The US-5,427 vs 30 largest countries combined –5,243 (The remaining ~100+ countries account for the final ~3-4%.)
| Rank | Country | Data Centers | Cumulative (excl. US) | % of US |
| 1 | Germany | 529 | 529 | 9.7% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 523 | 1,052 | 19.4% |
| 3 | China | 449 | 1,501 | 27.7% |
| 4 | Canada | 337 | 1,838 | 33.9% |
| 5 | France | 322 | 2,160 | 39.8% |
| 6 | Australia | 314 | 2,474 | 45.6% |
| 7 | Netherlands | 298 | 2,772 | 51.1% |
| 8 | Russia | 251 | 3,023 | 55.7% |
| 9 | Japan | 222 | 3,245 | 59.8% |
| 10 | Brazil | 196 | 3,441 | 63.4% |
| 11 | Mexico | 173 | 3,614 | 66.6% |
| 12 | Italy | 168 | 3,782 | 69.7% |
| 13 | Poland | 144 | 3,926 | 72.3% |
| 14 | Spain | 143 | 4,069 | 75.0% |
| 15 | Hong Kong | 122 | 4,191 | 77.2% |
| 16 | Switzerland | 121 | 4,312 | 79.5% |
| 17 | Singapore | 99 | 4,411 | 81.3% |
| 18 | Sweden | 95 | 4,506 | 83.0% |
| 19 | Indonesia | 84 | 4,590 | 84.6% |
| 20 | New Zealand | 83 | 4,673 | 86.1% |
| 21 | Belgium | 80 | 4,753 | 87.6% |
| 22 | Austria | 68 | 4,821 | 88.8% |
| 23 | Malaysia | 62 | 4,883 | 90.0% |
| 24 | Chile | 59 | 4,942 | 91.1% |
| 25 | Ukraine | 58 | 5,000 | 92.1% |
| 26 | Ireland | 55 | 5,055 | 93.2% |
| 27 | Denmark | 50 | 5,105 | 94.1% |
| 28 | Finland | 48 | 5,153 | 95.0% |
| 29 | Norway | 47 | 5,200 | 95.8% |
| 30 | South Korea | 43 | 5,243 | 96.6% |
President Trump claims that we must keep up with China
China has 1.42 billion people – USA has 347 million people (China has ~4× more people)
USA has 5,426 data centers – China has only 449
Per person:
- 1 data center for every 64,000 Americans
- 1 data center for every 3.2 million Chinese
China uses their data centers to monitor their citizens and give them social credit scores which are needed for employment, travel, buying, and everyday life.
The average American is 50 times more likely to have a data center “nearby” than the average Chinese. We already have enough power to monitor every citizen in the world. (that will be covered in my next article: Data Collection Off the Tracks: Old NSA Data Center vs. New Hyperscale AI Data Centers)
America Remains Ahead of China Even When You Factor in Size and Cutting-Edge Tech
Mega AI Centers 100+ Megawatts : US~ 580 vs China~100 -150
The U.S. runs about 580 huge powerhouses over 100 megawatts that train the smartest AI models. These facilities have a whopping 53.7 gigawatts of total power, grabbing 51-54% of the world’s share. That’s roughly four times more sites than China’s 100-150 facilities and twice the raw power at 31.9 gigawatts (just 16-26% globally) This spread-out U.S. network makes AI training much more reliable, because if one center goes down or loses power, the work instantly shifts to others and nothing crashes. [2] [3]
Medium-Scale Data Centers 10-100 megawatts: US- 1,000 vs China -200-300
For general AI and cloud work the U.S. leads with over 1,000 facilities as part of its massive hyperscale network, packing more than 20 gigawatts. That is about five times the number of sites and way more power than China’s 200-300 setups with around 7 gigawatts.
This means American AI companies have many backup data centers ready to take over instantly if one gets overloaded or goes offline, so their services almost never slow down or crash. China has far fewer of these backup options, so when one of their big centers has a problem, a lot of AI work can get delayed or stuck. [4] [5]
Small and edge data centers under 10 megawatts: US- 3500 vs China 100-200
For fast, local AI (like the smart features in your phone, maps, or voice assistants), the U.S. has more than 3,500 small “neighborhood” data centers spread across the country, delivering at least 5 gigawatts of power in total.
China has only about 100–200 of these small local centers with very little power between them, because almost all of its 449 data centers are huge centralized facilities far from most users. [6]
One key reason for the “urgent” push to connect AI data centers to the existing power grid is that building their own dedicated power sources will take years.
Traditional large nuclear plants typically require 6 to 8 years or more for construction, plus lengthy permitting and regulatory approvals that can stretch the total timeline well beyond a decade. Small modular reactors (SMRs) promise faster deployment, often in the range of 3 to 7 years once designs are proven, but widespread commercial availability is still expected in the early 2030s. Building a regular natural gas power plant for an AI data center typically takes 12 to 36 months.
In the meantime, Big Tech wants reliable electricity RIGHT AWAY/NOW/PRONTO/TO HELL WITH HUMANITY, which explains the current rush to tap into the national grid as a bridge.
Ratepayers Crushed While Silicon Valley Laughs All the Way to the Bank
FERC Chair Laura Swett, a Trump appointee, called the vote “historic” and said it would push the country’s electricity market into the future. Yet she and the commission are ignoring the reality on the ground as they accelerate connections for Big Tech.
Ignoring Furious Local Opposition and Poll After Poll
Despite the fact that a large percentage of Americans are against them, with a Gallup poll finding seven in 10 oppose construction of AI data centers in their local area including nearly half who strongly oppose, the Trump administration charges ahead anyway completely ignoring those who voted for him in favor of Big Tech.
The Coming Blackout Crisis Big Tech and Regulators Are Forcing on Families
This is not about helping working families or strengthening America. It is about giving Big Tech priority access to our shared power grid under the promise of “sharing,” while ignoring widespread local opposition, environmental damage, and long-term risks to energy security. Recent experience in Nevada shows what this really means: NV Energy is redirecting power away from nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents to serve data centers, forcing homeowners to scramble for new electricity sources. There was no “sharing” involved. [7]
Americans are tired of these pet projects that put corporate profits over people. The fast track needs to stop before the grid breaks and families pay the painful price.
[1] Grid operators are ordered to speed power to energy-hungry AI data centers | AP News
[2] https://www.srgresearch.com/articles/hyperscale-data-center-count-hits-1136-average-size-increases-us-accounts-for-54-of-total-capacity
[3] https://www.visualcapitalist.com/data-center-capacity-around-the-world/
[4] https://www.abiresearch.com/blog/data-centers-by-region-size-company
[5] https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/china-data-center-market
[6] https://www.cbre.com/insights/reports/global-data-center-trends-2025
[7] Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents face power loss as utility redirects lines to data centers | Fortune