Catenaa, Sunday, November 08, 2026- US National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Friday that he expects the buildout to proceed as projected, despite Democrats’ victory.
Speaking on CNBC, Hassett acknowledged that voters across the United States had supported restrictions on new data centre development. However, he maintained that these decisions would not prevent the Trump administration from pursuing its AI infrastructure expansion plans.
“We respect the localities thathat’sde that’s what they want to do,” Hassett told CNBC. “But America is a big place, and right now, the data centre scheduled over the next couple of years aren’t affected by these ballot initiatives.”
Hassett expects developers to prioritise locations where state authorities support new data centre investments. He also suggested that communities currently opposing such projects might reconsider their positions if the facilities deliver visible economic benefits.
In at least 46 of the roughly 50 such initiatives on ballots in 2026, majorities voted to restrict development of the facilities, according to Ballotpedia’s tally.
According to CNBC, Hassett also said Thursday’s tech-driven market plunge was due to “uncertainty about what the political change is going to mean for data centers going “o”We’ve”
“We’ve now got a … new majority that maybe is going to go in there and muddle around in there, and I think that markets are anxious about that,” he said.
“But I think that the economic strength that we see everywhere else is so strong, and of course, in the end, you could take so that’s growing as fast as the data centers and make it grow a little bit slower, and you still have a blockbuster economy.”
“And so, we’re still very, very optimistic about what’s going to happen going forward,” he told CNBC.
President Donald Trump posted Friday on Truth Social that he is “100% in favor of Super Intelligence (SI)” and will work with states “that want to become RICH by having them.” He wrote that “only foolish leadership will say ‘NO’ to the riches they bring.”
A CNBC exit poll showed that 56% of midterm voters rated data centers a major or crucial concern. Among those who called the issue crucial, the generic Democratic candidate drew 62% support.
US voters across 30 towns and cities supported restrictions on data center development during the midterm election. At the same time, research published by Heatmap in October estimated that opposition had contributed to the cancellation of at least $260 billion in proposed projects during 2026.
Meta President Dina Powell McCormick told the WSJ Tech conference on Wednesday that starting new data buildouts in the United States will be very challenging. She said expanding existing projects should be easier.
