Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett broke with President Donald Trump after the president dismissed communities resisting new AI data centers as potentially “backwards and poor.” The remark didn’t just draw criticism from Democrats; it also sparked unusually angry responses from some of Trump’s own supporters.
Asked about Trump’s comments Monday, Burchett didn’t attempt to defend them.
“I guess I’m backwards and poor,” the Tennessee congressman said in the footage posted to X by user Acyn, Burchett argued that officials pushing data centers have done a poor job explaining the projects to residents and called for more local control over where they are built.
Trump had taken a considerably different approach on Truth Social, arguing that communities rejecting data centers risk falling behind economically. He touted potential jobs, lower taxes and investment while warning that opposition benefits China.
Tennessee Trump Supporters Push Back
That message landed badly with some of the president’s own followers. They shot back at Tennessee Rep. Burchett after his statement.
“Well, we knew old Timmy was backwards, but I am sure he’s not poor.”
“Whatever. If there was a bill to support it, he’d pull his usual, I don’t think I’m gonna vote for it to extract something for his district then vote for it.”
“I guess Tim will support any regs going forward to be retroactively applied to existing data centers. Right?”
The Tennessee Lookout reported that communities including McMinnville and Coffee County have paused data center development while considering new regulations. Residents have raised concerns involving electricity demand, water use, pollution and noise, while Nashville has also seen significant public opposition to proposed projects.
Burchett’s criticism also reflects a broader divide among Republican voters. That makes Trump’s “backwards and poor” characterization politically awkward: the people pushing back aren’t simply Democratic critics. They include Republican voters and, now, a Tennessee Republican congressman willing to throw the president’s own words right back at him.
