Trump Slams Wind Farms as 'Ugliest'; 600 Turbines Spin in California Desert

PALM SPRINGS, California — Driving along Interstate 10 on May 18, wind turbines came into view on both sides of the highway, marking the entrance to the San Gorgonio Wind Farm in Riverside County. Across roughly 70 square miles (183 km²), turbines spun ceaselessly, powered by winds blowing from the mountains into the desert. Standing about 500 feet tall including the tower and blades—taller than the Statue of Liberty at 305 feet—the turbines were visible at a glance.

Palm Springs, located about two hours east of Los Angeles by car, is known as a resort destination for Hollywood stars and the place where Marilyn Monroe was discovered by a talent agency. But the wind farm is what made this city most famous. While the Tehachapi Wind Farm in Kern County, California, is the largest in the United States and third-largest in the world, San Gorgonio is America's oldest. Wintec Energy installed the first eight generators here in 1982. The number of turbines once reached 4,500 but has since been reduced to about 600 as they were replaced with modern units.

The area's combination of highlands and flat desert makes it ideal for harnessing wind. Winds passing through San Gorgonio Pass—between the San Jacinto Mountains surrounding Palm Springs and the San Gorgonio Mountains to the north—blow into the Coachella Valley at 15 to 20 miles per hour. Since wind turbines require speeds of only 7 to 10 mph to operate, this location is considered one of the best sites for onshore wind power in the United States.

According to the U.S. Wind Turbine Database, the area had 623 turbines installed across 26 projects as of the end of last year, with a generating capacity of 660 megawatts (MW). Local media and tour operators report that the largest wind turbines have a capacity of 3 MW, producing enough electricity to power more than 1,500 households. Wind power accounted for 11.89% of California's electricity generation in 2024.

While noise pollution is often cited as a drawback of wind turbines, the sound of the spinning turbines was barely audible. Ambient noise near the highway measured 84 decibels. Even in the town of Desert Hot Springs, a 10-minute drive away, turbine noise was imperceptible.

Although there was local opposition during the construction phase, more than 40 years have passed and major conflicts within the community have subsided. "The wind blows from the mountains year-round, so it's ideal for wind power," said a local resident. "I've lived here for 12 years and haven't been bothered by the noise. Most people feel the same way."

However, the wind power industry has been thrown into political turmoil. California's wind energy sector was once seen as America's answer to China in the global clean energy race, but it now faces a crisis under the Trump administration. In July last year, President Trump criticized the United Kingdom's wind power efforts, saying, "I think wind is a disgrace. It's so inefficient, and it looks so horrible. A windmill reduces your property values by more than 50%." In August, the Trump administration canceled federal funding totaling $679 million for 12 offshore wind projects, including a $427 million California project.

The Palm Springs wind farm has itself been a repeated target of Trump's criticism. In 2012, he wrote on social media, "Palm Springs, California has been completely destroyed by the ugliest wind farm in the world at their gateway on Interstate 10." In 2020, he said the Palm Springs turbines were "rotting." At a meeting with oil company CEOs last month, he declared, "Wind farms are a losing proposition. You lose money, you destroy landscapes, and you kill birds. My goal is to have no wind turbines built."

The clash over wind power between President Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom, considered a leading Democratic presidential contender, has intensified. When Newsom signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK energy minister in London on May 16 to cooperate on clean energy including offshore wind, Trump criticized the move as "inappropriate" in a Politico interview that day. "Gavin is a loser. Everything he touches turns to garbage. His state is a mess and his environmental programs are a disaster," Trump said. When Trump posted on social media late last year that wind turbines were killing bald eagles—America's national bird—and the photo turned out to show a hawk photographed in Israel, Newsom's office fired back: "He doesn't even know what America's national bird looks like."