Donald Trump and wind energy
Donald Trump has been critical of wind turbines. He unsuccessfully sued the Scottish government to stop the construction of wind turbines near a golf course he intended to build. During his second administration, Trump has attempted to stop the construction of and dismantle active offshore wind projects.
Background
[edit]Trump uses the incorrect term for wind turbines, calling them windmills.[1][2] Trump's position on wind turbines has been compared to Don Quixote due to the character tilting at windmills because he thought they were giants.[1][3]
Trump has made several false claims about wind turbines.[4][5] Trump finds wind turbines ugly.[6] Trump has also expressed concerns about the large percentage of the world's wind turbines being built in China.[7]
History
[edit]In 2006, Trump expressed concerns about a wind farm planned to be built near where he planned to build a golf course.[8] After the plans for the 11 wind turbines were approved by the Scottish government, Trump unsuccessfully sued in the Court of Sessions to have the plan declared illegal.[9] Trump unsuccessfully appealed the case to the UK Supreme Court.[10] Trump made 60 tweets about the offshore wind farm from 2012 to 2015.[11]
A 2017 ad campaign by American Wind Action attempted to shift Trump towards a more pro-wind energy stance.[12] Trump promised to fight offshore wind during his 2024 campaign for the presidency.[13]
During his second administration, Trump issued an executive order to halt the approval of offshore wind projects. Trump's administration cited national security reasons for the executive order.[14][15] Tax credits for wind projects were largely eliminated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. A court struck down Trump's executive order to halt the approval of new wind projects.[14] The Trump administration gave 1 billion dollars to TotalEnergies to refund its offshore wind leases in North Carolina and New York and invest in fossil fuel projects.[16]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "The Windmills in Donald Trump's Mind". McGill Office for Science and Society. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
- ↑ Peters, Adele (January 22, 2025). "Why Donald Trump hates wind power". Fast Company. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
- ↑ "The story of Donald Trump's feud with his one true nemesis: Windmills". The Washington Post. 2019-08-15. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
- ↑ McDonald, Jessica (2019-04-04). "Trump's Faulty Wind Power Claims". FactCheck.org. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
- ↑ Steffen, Sarah (June 7, 2025). "Fact check: Debunking Trump's false claims on wind energy". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
- ↑ Sifton, Sam (2025-12-23). "Why Doesn't Trump Like Wind Farms?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
- ↑ Horton, Helena; reporter, Helena Horton Environment (2025-07-28). "Tilting at windmills? Trump's claims about turbines fact-checked". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
- ↑ "Fears over Trump's golfing plans". BBC. 2006-05-24. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
- ↑ "Billionaire Donald Trump loses legal battle over offshore wind farm". STV. 5 June 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- ↑ John, Tara. "Donald Trump's Fight Against Windfarm Defeated by the U.K. Supreme Court". TIME. Archived from the original on 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
- ↑ "Trump tweeted about Scottish wind farm 60 times". POLITICO. 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
- ↑ Cama, Timothy (June 14, 2017). "Wind power group's new ad campaign aims to win over Trump". The Hill. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
- ↑ Parry, Wayne (2024-11-10). "Trump has vowed to kill US offshore wind projects. Will he succeed?". Associated Press. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
- 1 2 "Donald Quixote's War on Wind: How Trump Harms the European Wind Industry". Universiteit Gent. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
- ↑ Beaumont, Hilary (2026-02-02). "Is Trump winning or losing his war on offshore wind power?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
- ↑ "Trump administration's $1B deal to stop offshore wind shows an evolution in its anti-wind strategy". Associated Press. 2026-03-24. Retrieved 2026-04-03.
