Trump Declares National Emergency Over Chinese Power Equipment

President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency regarding the foreign threat posed by bulk-power system equipment. The order specifically targets the United States' reliance on Chinese components during the current AI data center expansion, authorizing the U.S. Department of Energy to restrict transactions involving batteries, switchgear, and transformers.

Trump stated that the threat regarding foreign supply of bulk-power system electric equipment has become more acute since his first term. He noted that the growth of artificial intelligence, defense production, and data centers has magnified the consequences of potential supply disruptions or attacks on the power system. The U.S. government is also reportedly drafting a ban on Chinese optical transceivers, while the Federal Communications Commission added foreign-produced power inverters to its Covered List of national security risks.

Parallel to these policy shifts, X reported that a suspected Chinese bot farm used roughly 200,000 accounts to influence American public opinion against AI data centers. These operations allegedly used propaganda regarding utility prices and grid strain to stall U.S. AI development. In response, the House Energy and Commerce Committee requested briefings from the White House and the FBI concerning these foreign influence campaigns.