Trump Criticizes Wind Energy Again
This week, former President Donald Trump ramped up his criticism of wind energy, describing windmills and turbines as costly and inefficient. He claims they contribute to rising energy prices, power shortages, and environmental degradation.
On Tuesday, he took to Truth Social to highlight windmills in New Jersey, arguing they are pushing up energy bills and leading to electricity shortages. He has often pointed out what he sees as the environmental downsides, such as bird and whale fatalities, suggesting that wind turbines are responsible for the deaths of “many bald eagles.” He even likened walking under a wind turbine to being in “a graveyard for birds.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that bird fatalities from turbines could be between 21,000 and 679,000 annually, with an average of about 328,000. Despite Trump’s claims about whales, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has stated that humpback whale strandings are chiefly linked to ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements, contradicting the former president’s assertions.
Trump has a history of opposing wind energy, and this isn’t the first time he’s spoken out against it. At a cabinet meeting in July and during his Scottish golf club visits, he characterized windmills as a “blight.” His opposition dates back to 2006, when he protested an offshore wind farm visible from his golf resort in Balmedie, Scotland, claiming it would ruin the view and impact tourism.
Moreover, Tuesday also saw the U.S. Commerce Department announce a broadened set of steel and aluminum tariffs, which now includes 407 additional product categories. Among the items affected are wind turbines and related equipment, facing a 50% duty on their metal content.
“The steel and aluminum content of these products will be subject to a duty rate of 50%,” stated the department.
The recent Consumer Price Index indicates that electricity prices have increased, with average rates 5.5% higher this July compared to last July. This follows a new “inclusions process” initiated under Section 232 on May 1, 2025, which allows domestic producers to request that additional products be covered by tariffs. The Wind Tower Trade Coalition utilized this process to advocate for including imported wind tower parts.
“Rising U.S. imports of low-priced wind towers have already caused significant harm to the domestic steel mill industry,” the coalition said, explaining that these imports forced domestic manufacturers to source from overseas instead of local steel mills.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin commented earlier this year that actions taken during the Trump administration are “driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion.” Naturally, advocates for renewable energy have criticized the administration’s tariff approach, suggesting it undermines efforts for green energy development.
“We need to build more power generation now, and that includes renewable energy,” said Ray Long, CEO of the American Council on Renewable Energy. He emphasized the urgent need for new power generation to avoid potential shortages.
In a similar vein, Nick Krakoff, an attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, argued that the administration’s policies make it increasingly difficult to establish wind or solar power infrastructures, while simultaneously relaxing regulations on fossil fuels.
On Wednesday, Trump reiterated his distaste for wind energy, asserting:
“Any state that has built and relied on WINDMILLS and SOLAR for power are seeing RECORD BREAKING INCREASES IN ELECTRICITY AND ENERGY COSTS. THE SCAM OF THE CENTURY! We will not approve wind or farmer destroying Solar.”
