A ‘strategic mistake of colossal proportions’: Why Trump is losing the war on renewables

 Donald Trump’s ruthless war on renewables is being met with heavy resistance, as American interest in homegrown, clean energy continues to surge.

The POTUS declared a National Energy Emergency last year to dramatically increase domestic fossil fuel production and pursue his aggressive “drill, baby, drill” initiatives.

In February, Trump signed an executive order directing the US defence department to buy more electricity generated by coal – which is considered the dirtiest, most polluting way of producing energy.

At the same time, the President has been using his public appearances to snub – or make false claims – about renewable energy. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Trump claimed that China makes “almost all” of the world’s turbines – only to “sell them to stupid people”.

He added that China doesn’t use wind energy for itself, despite the country boasting the world’s largest wind farm which is visible from space.

Previously, Trump has called clean energy the “scam of the century” – putting pressure on countries like the UK to ditch their renewables drive and drill for oil.

Trump wants to stop offshore wind farms. Will it work?

Last year, the Trump Administration attempted to block a string of offshore wind projects, claiming such infrastructure would be a national security risk.

Several federal judges blocked the ban, clearing the way for developers to proceed.

However, the Interior Department has since started buying back offshore wind leases, offering companies reimbursements to invest in fossil fuel projects or other forms of energy such as geothermal.

Eight offshore wind projects have been stopped so far. According to news agency AP, the total amount spent on these agreements is almost $2.6 billion (approximately €2.28 billion).

Back in March, French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies was offered almost $1 billion (€877 million) if it invests money originally intended for offshore leases off the coast of North Carolina and New York in fossil fuels instead.

New York is leading a lawsuit challenging the agreement. This week (Thursday, 26 June) a court in Paris ruled that TotalEnergies can no longer ignore its indirect emissions and the environmental risks caused by the consumption of its products.

It has been given six months to formally assess and report on the environmental risks generated by the use of its fuels and natural gas by consumers.

This week, AP reports that California now intends to sue the administration over its deal to end an offshore wind project proposed off the state’s central coast.

California has made a major commitment to offshore wind because of its potential to generate vast amounts of clean electricity from strong, consistent winds off its coast.

Its strategy calls for the state to develop 25 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2045, enough to power roughly 25 million homes and provide about 13 per cent of the state’s electricity supply.

David Hochschild, California’s Energy Commission Chair, called the administration’s tactics a “strategic mistake of colossal proportions” especially since the war on Iran has spiked fossil fuel prices around the world.

It’s not just wind farms that Trump is determined to stop. The “Big Beautiful Bill”, which was signed into law on 4 July last year, saw the 30 per cent residential solar tax credit scrapped – nearly a decade ahead of schedule.

Homeowners now wanting to install solar panels will pay, on average, $9,000 (€7,900) more than before the bill came into effect on 31 December 2025 – according to Energy Sage.

Solar outperforms coal in the US

Despite the blistering setbacks, solar overtook coal generation in the US electricity mix for the first month on record in May 2026.

According to energy think tank Ember, sunlight supplied a record 12.8 per cent of US electricity, while coal fell to 12.2 per cent, its fourth-lowest monthly share ever.