"Stop the wind turbines. You're destroying your country. I'm telling you the truth," former US President Donald Trump told reporters on the tarmac at Glasgow Prestwick Airport on 25/7, sending a message to European countries.
"It's so sad when you come in and see all those windmills all over the place, ruining all these beautiful fields and valleys and killing all the birds. The ones out in the ocean, they ruin the ocean," he continued.
In May, Trump suggested that the UK drill for oil and stop building wind turbines, reiterating his long-held opposition to this form of energy. In 2019, he claimed wind turbines cause cancer, but offered no evidence. In 2012, he accused Chinese wind turbines of killing birds.
The US shifted back towards fossil fuels under the Trump administration, with the former president making energy policy a central part of his agenda since the beginning of his term in January.
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Trump landed at Glasgow Airport, Scotland, on 25/7. Photo: AFP |
Trump landed at Glasgow Airport, Scotland, on 25/7. Photo: AFP
The UK, meanwhile, has pledged to become a "clean energy superpower" and is shifting its economy towards prioritizing renewable energy.
Observers believe Trump's dislike of wind turbines stems from 2006, when the renewable energy company Aberdeen began construction on an offshore wind farm near his Trump International golf course, which was also under construction.
He wrote to Scottish officials, declaring he would allocate funds to launch an international campaign against the plan to "ring Scotland's coast with thousands of wind turbines".
Ultimately, both the golf course and the 11 turbines were completed. In 2019, a court ruled against Trump, stating the golf course had to pay Scotland's legal fees.
Trump arrived in Scotland during a 4-day visit to the UK. He will visit Trump International and Trump Turnberry golf courses and open a new course named after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, who was born in Tong, Scotland. He also plans to meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
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Offshore wind turbines in Aberdeen, Scotland. Photo: AFP |
Offshore wind turbines in Aberdeen, Scotland. Photo: AFP
Duc Trung (AP, AFP, Reuters)
