Trump critic says US president 'has a point' on windmills - but all is not as it seems

US president Donald Trump is currently in the UK (Scotland, to be exact), and Brits aren’t too happy about that, with protesters gathering in both Edinburgh and Aberdeen to voice their dislike of the convicted felon, and Westminster figures mocking the Republican’s comments about windmills.

Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, took aim at Trump following remarks he gave in Glasgow on Friday, telling Europe to “stop the windmills”.

The US president told reporters: “You’re ruining your countries. I really mean it.

“It’s so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys, and killing your birds, and they’re stuck in the ocean, ruining your oceans.”

Erm, we think you mean offshore wind farms and wind turbines, Donald.

This prompted Davey – who is no stranger to poking fun at himself (we don’t need to remind you about his many publicity stunts during last year’s general election campaign) – to joke about the apparent danger presented by windmills.

Sharing a snap of him standing in front of one to Twitter/X on Saturday, the Kingston and Surbiton MP wrote: “Trump has a point. Moments after this photo was taken, the windmill turned on me! Got away just in time.”

It’s not the first time that Trump’s attacks on wind – yes, we’re aware of the irony – have raised eyebrows, as it was only a few weeks ago that the US president said he has “never seen a wind farm in China”.

That’s despite the country being described as a “leader” in global renewable energy because it hosts “nearly half of the world’s total operating wind and solar capacity” – according to a report from non-profit Global Energy Monitor in 2023.

In remarks not too dissimilar from the ones made on Friday, Trump told a crowd outside the White House on 4 July: “It does not work, aside from ruining our fields and our valleys and killing all the birds, being very weak and very expensive – all made in China.”

Oh, and he once claimed windmills are “driving the whales crazy” in Massachusetts.

Good lord…

Why not read…

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