Donald Trump has labelled countries that subsidise wind power, including the UK, as “stupid”, while announcing nearly $700 million (£521 million) in support for the US coal industry. The US president argued that successful nations like China rely on coal, whereas “real great failures” have adopted renewable energy.
Trump has long opposed wind turbines, particularly offshore, having previously lost a legal battle with the Scottish Government over a development visible from his Aberdeenshire golf course. He has accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of “windmilling the country to death” and warned that the UK is “getting killed on energy” by not boosting North Sea oil extraction.
In contrast, UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has vowed to “double down not back down” on the shift to clean power, speeding up renewables and electrifying heating and transport. He argues that home-grown energy would insulate the UK from fuel shocks caused by conflicts such as Iran.
The Tories and Reform UK have called for increased North Sea oil and gas supplies and scrapping net-zero measures like renewables and heat pump subsidies. Trump’s plans use Cold War-era emergency powers to support 13 coal-fired plants, build new facilities in Alaska and West Virginia, restart a closed Maryland plant, and support a coal export terminal in California.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said: “Wind is the most expensive, it’s the worst, it causes tremendous problems. It kills millions and millions of birds a year.” He added: “We’re into energy that really works and works powerfully.”
