President Donald Trump has launched a sweeping campaign against the renewable energy sector, vowing to halt the approval of new wind and solar projects at the federal level and rolling back a host of incentives and programs designed to accelerate the nation’s transition toward cleaner power. The announcement, made on August 21, 2025, marks one of the most aggressive reversals of green energy policy in recent U.S. history, and has sent shockwaves through the industry, American households, and global markets alike.
Trump’s fiery rhetoric left little room for ambiguity. In a Truth Social post, he declared, “Any State that has built and relied on WINDMILLS and SOLAR for power are seeing RECORD BREAKING INCREASES IN ELECTRICITY AND ENERGY COSTS. THE SCAM OF THE CENTURY!” He continued, “We will not approve wind or farmer destroying Solar. The days of stupidity are over in the USA!!! MAGA.” According to Reuters, Trump doubled down on these remarks, asserting that the “days of stupidity are over in the USA” and blaming “windmills” and “farmer-destroying solar” for driving up electricity prices.
These pronouncements come at a time when American households are grappling with some of the steepest electricity price hikes in decades. According to the Energy Information Administration, electricity prices are projected to rise by 13% from 2022 to 2025. Already in 2025, bills have jumped between 5% and 9% nationally, with some states facing even sharper increases—Maine residents, for example, have seen their electricity bills soar by 36.3%, while Connecticut and Utah have experienced spikes of 18.4% and 15.2%, respectively.
While Trump’s administration attributes these rising costs to the “scam” of renewable energy, industry experts and government agencies point to a more complex mix of factors. Surging electricity demand from artificial intelligence (AI) and data centers, aging grid infrastructure in need of costly upgrades, and rising natural gas prices are all cited as major contributors to the current price surge. However, Trump’s public statements have largely omitted these drivers, focusing instead on wind and solar as the culprits.
The policy shift is not limited to rhetoric. On July 4, 2025, Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which effectively ends the popular 30% federal solar tax credit for homeowners. Americans now have only a few months to install residential solar systems before losing access to thousands of dollars in tax breaks. The administration has also frozen the $7 billion Solar for All program, a Biden-era initiative aimed at making solar power accessible to low-income Americans. The Environmental Protection Agency confirmed the suspension of this program on August 7, 2025.
In a further blow to the renewable sector, the Trump administration has halted the issuance of new wind and solar permits on federal land, canceled offshore wind leasing entirely, and imposed strict new permitting requirements that have caused significant delays and outright cancellations of major projects. High-profile casualties include Idaho’s Lava Ridge Wind Project and New Jersey’s Atlantic Shores development. Even projects that have already received approval are not safe, as the new rules allow for additional reviews or revocations.
The Commerce Department has also ramped up tariffs on wind turbines and components, extending them in August 2025 to cover 407 new categories at a punishing 50% rate. These moves, according to AFP, are part of a broader offensive against renewable energy that has already delivered devastating blows to the industry.
Trump’s criticism of renewables is not new. He has repeatedly described wind turbines as “horrific and expensive,” going so far as to claim that wind power “kills whales and harms the landscape.” Solar power, he has said, is “ridiculous.” During a recent visit to Scotland, Trump even urged the UK to halt wind power expansion and increase oil drilling instead.
But the administration’s actions extend beyond wind and solar. The early abolition of electric vehicle (EV) purchase tax credits—worth up to $7,500—has injected significant uncertainty into the plans of major automakers. General Motors canceled its planned expansion of an electric truck plant in Michigan, while Toyota scaled back investment in electric SUVs in Indiana. The Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a cornerstone of federal support for green industry, is also facing early termination under Trump’s leadership.
Infrastructure projects are not immune. The Grain Belt Express, the largest renewable energy transmission project in the U.S., has ground to a halt after the federal government withdrew $4.9 billion in loan guarantees. The Department of Energy justified the move by stating, “The need for the government to support the project is low.” Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture has announced it will no longer provide loan guarantees for wind and solar power facilities.
In a sharp policy reversal, the Trump administration has ordered emergency extensions for aging thermal power plants in Pennsylvania and Michigan, which were slated for closure. The stated aim is to prevent instability in electricity supply and demand, a risk the administration attributes to the reduction of eco-friendly and renewable energy projects.
The ripple effects of these moves are being felt far beyond U.S. borders. South Korean companies, including Hanwha Solution, OCI, CSWind, and LS Cable & System, have made significant investments in the American renewable sector. Hanwha Solution is currently building a “Solar Hub” in Georgia with a 3.2 trillion won investment, aiming to generate 8.4 GW of electricity annually—enough to supply 1.3 million households. OCI, through its subsidiaries, is pursuing large-scale solar power projects in Texas, while CSWind and LS Cable & System are advancing wind and transmission infrastructure. These companies now face a landscape fraught with uncertainty, as Trump’s policies cast doubt on the future of renewables in the U.S.
Despite the administration’s harsh stance, industry officials and analysts caution that political realities may temper the full impact of these measures. Many Republican-dominated states have reaped economic benefits from the growth of renewables, including job creation and local investment. As one industry official put it, “Trump’s remarks are increasing uncertainty, but we cannot rule out the possibility that it will not appear as a specific policy and will end up as a political declaration.” The official added that Trump’s actions “seem to reflect political calculations to raise support by dismissing opposition protests ahead of next year’s midterm elections.”
With the 2026 midterms on the horizon, the battle over America’s energy future is shaping up to be a defining issue. The stakes are high—not just for the environment, but for the economy, international investors, and millions of Americans facing rising energy bills and a rapidly changing marketplace. Whether Trump’s crackdown on renewables will endure as lasting policy or serve primarily as political theater remains to be seen, but for now, the industry and its stakeholders are bracing for a period of profound uncertainty and upheaval.