President Donald Trump inadvertently branded the United States a “loser” during a recent tirade against windmills. The gaffe came as he attacked Europe’s energy choices from the Oval Office, forgetting America’s own massive wind industry.
Donald Trump’s latest renewable-energy attack creates an awkward contradiction with America’s own wind sector
Trump launched into a familiar denunciation of windmills on Monday while discussing his grievances with European nations. “When I see what’s happening to Europe, it’s very sad to me,” the president said. “But they have a problem with immigration, they have a problem with energy—they have windmills all over the place.”
He then gave a sweeping verdict that would boomerang back on his own country. “Any country with windmills is a loser, okay? You just have to look. If they have windmills, they’re a loser. Because you lose money with windmills.” The assertion immediately collided with domestic reality.
The United States operates more than 77,000 wind turbines across upwards of 1,800 onshore and offshore projects (via U.S. Geological Survey). Wind power generated 464.4 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2025, equating to roughly 10.5 percent of the nation’s entire power supply, climate policy expert Steven Cohen has noted.
The president’s animosity toward wind energy traces back more than a decade, ever since a wind project appeared within sight of his Aberdeenshire golf course in Scotland. Since launching his political career, Donald Trump has claimed wind mills cause cancer, kill birds and whales, and destroy property values. He offered no scientific evidence for these assertions.
Moreover, Trump recently revived a peculiar anecdote about his June 2024 debate with Joe Biden, insisting viewers missed the event because “the wind wasn’t blowing” and caused a television blackout in areas reliant on wind power. CNN reporter Daniel Dale has pointed out the story was “completely made up.” More than 51 million Americans watched the debate on television, including those in Texas, the state that produces the most wind power by far (via The Daily Beast).
