On May 23, 2025, simmering discontent started to spread in the rural towns of Trump's MAGA strongholds, not because of political opponents or financial issues, but because of an unforeseen cause: the incessant drone of Bitcoin mining facilities. President Donald Trump, who has promoted the concept of making America the world's capital of cryptocurrency mining, is now experiencing a shocking resistance from his base. The same policies aimed at shoring up America's economic supremacy are now colliding with the peaceful existence of the rural constituents who contributed to his return to the White House, revealing a tension that may threaten his pro-crypto agenda.
A Soundtrack of Discontent
In Dresden, New York, a town of only 300 surrounded by grape farms and placid lakes, the cacophony of progress has turned into a frustration. Over the last half-dozen years, the Greenidge Generation power plant, previously idled, has come roaring back online to fuel a Bitcoin mining operation. The operation, in which high-powered computers solve advanced math equations to confirm transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain, uses vast amounts of energy—and cooling. The motors that prevent these machines from overheating have a constant humming noise, locals characterize as a "mechanical whirr" that gets louder and turns into a "deafening din."
Ellen Campbell, a resident of Dresden for decades, can't help but be affected. "It's a nuisance," she says with frustration, sitting on the shore of Seneca Lake, where the hum overwhelms the birdsong symphony of nature. "We didn't sign up for this." Lori Fishline, another resident, seconded her: "It's a loud, constant buzzing that's ruined the peace of our bay." For these rural Americans, who voted for Trump in such numbers, the noise is not just an annoyance—it's a betrayal of the quiet, traditional existence they value.
Trump's Crypto Dreams Meet Rural Reality
Trump's vision for Bitcoin is ambitious. In June 2024, he announced his intention to make "all the remaining Bitcoin be made in the USA," a vow that appealed to crypto investors and aficionados. By the time of May 2025, the price of Bitcoin had reached $100,000, triggering a boom in mining activities nationwide. America today is home to at least 137 Bitcoin mines in 21 states, with additional ones in the pipeline, attracted by low electricity prices and pro-crypto President Trump. The government, headed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, has gone so far as to suggest assisting firms in constructing power plants alongside mines to guarantee energy supplies, a move which Lutnick asserts will "turbocharge Bitcoin mining in America" while calming gripes over soaring energy expenses for locals.
Yet on the ground, things are different. Bitcoin mining is power hungry, using as much as 2.3% of the U.S. grid, claims the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Harvard research, released in March 2025 in Nature Communications, found that 34 bitcoin mines collectively consumed a third more electricity than the city of Los Angeles, and caused air pollution impacting millions. In rural districts, where energy infrastructure tends to be under pressure, residents worry about increased utility bills and pollution. But it's the sound—ubiquitous and ceaseless—that has become the target of their wrath.
A Political Conundrum in the Heartland
The frustration is putting political allegiances to the test. Campbell, a Republican by lifetime affiliation, acknowledges her party support eroding. “Right now, I’m not real happy about them,” she says, directly tying her frustration to Trump’s Bitcoin policies. This sentiment is echoed across MAGA strongholds. In Granbury, Texas, where a 300-megawatt mining facility operated by Mara, the world’s largest Bitcoin miner, has disrupted life for hundreds, residents like Cheryl Shadden compare the noise to standing at the edge of Niagara Falls. "It's like a jet engine that never takes off," she mourns. The rumble has even impacted wildlife in the area, with deer abandoning the area and pets experiencing stress—some dogs have lost hair that might never grow back.
There is increasing resistance. In Niagara Falls, backlash resulted in a moratorium on new mining operations in 2021, followed by 40- to 50-decibel noise restrictions close to residential zones. In North Carolina, Cyndie Roberson and her neighbors succeeded in outlawing new Bitcoin development, though current mines were exempted, leading to her moving to Gilmer County, Georgia. There, she was part of a larger movement, as 1,000 residents at a community meeting spoke out against a proposed mine. Fannin County, which lies just north of Gilmer, has since passed a ban on crypto mining, echoing a broader backlash in rural, Republican-voting communities.
A Policy in Conflict with Its Foundation
Trump's crypto agenda, as much as it resonates with a subset of technocratic supporters and deep-pocketed investors, is more and more in conflict with the values of his rural foundation. These populations, as much as they are drawn to Trump on his assurances to defend American ways and put the "little guy" first, feel ignored. They are not oblivious to the irony: a policy intended to advance U.S. economic dominance is destabilizing their existence, benefiting big business and crypto communes at the expense of the small-town constituents who constitute the backbone of MAGA enthusiasm.
The ecological issues compound matters. World-wide, mining only uses 0.7% of electricity, according to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index, but locally the impact is dramatic. In Dresden, operation at the Greenidge plant has left concerns about pollution of Seneca Lake, a critical local resource. Throughout the country, the energy consumption of mining is at odds with increasing demands for sustainableness, even among conservatives who might otherwise embrace Trump's economic nationalism.
A Crossroads for Trump's Crypto Dream
While Trump is racing ahead with his crypto dreams—boosted by proposals such as the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and an upcoming Crypto Summit—the chaos in his electoral bases presents him a political challenge. The same voters who welcomed his comeback are now mobilizing against the same policies that he advocates. Social media forums, such as the 600-strong Bitcoin Noise Hood County Facebook group, are now centers for expressing frustration, comparing praise for Trump with despondency at the noise that's disrupted their lives.
The question is whether Trump can balance his vision for an America driven by Bitcoin with his rural constituency's requirements. Retracting support for mining would risk alienating crypto investors and donors, a swelling part of his base. But to dismiss the hum—and what it symbolizes, a larger set of anxieties—means further jeopardizing support in MAGA country, where fealty is built on a promise of preservation, not upending. For the time being, there is the hum, both literal and figurative, that serves as a reminder of the widening gap between Trump's goals and the people he professes to represent.
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