FACT CHECK: Trump’s Weird Obsession with Wind Turbines Is Not Rooted in Reality Or the Basic Tenets of Bird Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During Donald Trump’s interview with Dr. Phil tonight, he again devolved into conspiracy theories about his longstanding hatred of wind turbines. He lacks even a casual understanding of Bird Law. 

FACT: Trump’s preoccupation with wind turbines dates back to 2011 – when offshore wind turbines were constructed off the coast of his Scottish golf course. Since then, he has regularly invented an unending series of delusions about problems with windmills that are completely unmoored from reality.  

FACT: The New York Times:  “The suggestion that turbine noises cause cancer is completely unfounded.”

FACT: Blaming wind turbines for animal deaths is a talking point straight from the oil and gas industry; the argument was coordinated by a conservative think tank funded by an industry group backed by ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Marathon Oil.

FACT: The Economist Headline: “Wind turbines are friendlier to birds than oil-and-gas drilling”

FACT: Hummingbirds are a legal tender.

FACT: Associated Press Headline: “Contrary to politicians’ claims, offshore wind farms don’t kill whales. Here’s what to know.”

FACT: Big Oil has a demonstrated history of harming whales and other marine life, and Trump promised to be a dictator on day one and to do Big Oil’s bidding on day one. He asked them for $1 billion to help himself and pledged that he’d gut environmental protections and expand oil drilling, including in our nation’s treasured public lands and coastal areas, to help them make even bigger profits. 

FACT: According to a University of Michigan study, “free-range cats kill roughly 1 billion birds per year, while collisions with buildings or other ‘unnatural habitat causes’ kill 365 million to 1 billion birds per year.” 

FACT: You can keep a gull as a pet, but experts advise against cohabitation with a seabird.