Trump's new affordability gambit includes forcing grid operators to bend to his will
President Donald Trump's latest affordability gambit involves forcing grid operators to hold an emergency power sale and pay for infrastructure upgrades without passing costs down to consumers, according to a new report.
Bloomberg reported on Thursday that Trump's move, which is expected to be formalized on Friday, represents an "extraordinary intervention in the power markets." It comes at a time when many Americans are growing concerned that the proliferation of data centers in their neighborhoods is driving up utility costs.
"Under the initiative, the administration and governors whose states are supplied by PJM Interconnection LLC will urge the grid operator to hold a reliability power auction giving tech companies and hyperscalers the chance to bid on 15-year contracts for new electricity generation," the report reads. "If PJM goes along with the plan, it could be mammoth in scale, delivering contracts that would support the construction of some $15 billion worth of new power plants, said a White House official granted anonymity to detail the approach."
Trump has been increasingly searching for a message on affordability that resonates with his voters. Public polling shows the cost of living is one of the top issues for many voters, and Democrats have won a recent slate of elections by focusing on the issue.