Republicans’ Midterm Choice: Embrace AI and Trump — or Bow to the Polling

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Protesters hold up ‘Stop data centers’ signs during President Donald Trump’s speech in Milford, Mich., July 27, 2026.

Carlos Osorio/Reuters

Republican lawmakers are returning home to face AI-skeptical constituents as their party continues to place President Trump, the party’s biggest AI booster, front and center in midterm messaging.

Republicans who have cleaved to Trump through disruptive tariffs and an unpopular foreign war must now find a middle ground between their president, who dismisses AI skeptics as “backwards,” and their own voters, a majority of whom are wary of AI innovation and opposed to data center construction in their communities.

Charles Hilu

About the Author

Charles Hilu

Charles Hilu is a national affairs reporter at National Review. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he previously worked at the Washington Free Beacon and The Dispatch before joining National Review in 2026.

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