Trump says Microsoft will make changes to ensure consumers don’t pay for power used in AI buildout

Trump says Microsoft will make changes to ensure consumers don’t pay for power used in AI buildout


US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, DC, US, on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. Trump said there will be “serious retaliation” after two US Army soldiers and an interpreter were killed in Syria on Saturday, and three other Americans were wounded.

Samuel Corum | Sipa | Bloomberg | Getty Images

President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Monday that Microsoft will announce changes to ensure that Americans won’t see rising utility bills as the company builds more data centers to meet rising artificial intelligence demand.

“I never want Americans to pay higher Electricity bills because of Data Centers,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Therefore, my Administration is working with major American Technology Companies to secure their commitment to the American People, and we will have much to announce in the coming weeks.”

Ahead of this year’s midterm elections, President Trump is trying to find ways to lower prices for consumers, as the effects of tariffs he imposed last year on goods imported to the U.S. ripple across the economy. In December, Trump announced a $1,776 “warrior dividend” for U.S soldiers. Earlier this month he demanded the purchase of $200 billion in mortgage bonds with the hope of reducing mortgage rates.

Meanwhile, the biggest tech companies are rapidly constructing power-hungry data centers and telling Wall Street that they’ll be bolstering their capital expenditures as the AI boom continues. Last week Meta announced agreements with three nuclear power companies for a data center in Ohio.

Trump congratulated Microsoft on its efforts to keep prices in check, suggesting that other companies will make similar commitments.

“First up is Microsoft, who my team has been working with, and which will make major changes beginning this week to ensure that Americans don’t ‘pick up the tab’ for their POWER consumption, in the form of paying higher Utility bills,” Trump wrote on Monday.

Microsoft didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Utilities charged U.S. consumers 6% more for electricity in August from a year earlier, including in states with many data centers, CNBC reported in November.

Microsoft is paying close to attention to the impact of its data centers on local residents.

“I just want you to know we are doing everything we can, and I believe we’re succeeding, in managing this issue well, so that you all don’t have to pay more for electricity because of our presence,” Brad Smith, the company’s president and vice chair, said at a September town hall meeting in Wisconsin, where Microsoft is building an AI data center.

While Microsoft is moving forward with some facilities, the company withdrew plans for a data center in Caledonia, Wisconsin, amid loud opposition to its efforts there. The project would would have been located 20 miles away from a data center in the village of Mount Pleasant.

WATCH: Meta signs nuclear energy deals with Oklo, Vistra, and TerraPower to support its AI ambitions

Meta signs nuclear energy deals with Oklo, Vistra, and TerraPower to support its AI ambitions



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