Trump says US will not back solar projects harming farmland

US President Donald Trump said the United States will not approve solar and wind projects that damage farmland, claiming they drive up electricity prices, in his latest attack on renewable energy.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “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! We will not approve wind or farmer destroying Solar. The days of stupidity are over in the USA!!! MAGA.”

The post came a day after the US Department of Agriculture said it would end financial support programs for clean energy projects on productive farmland, a move seen as a setback for farmers who had relied on federal incentives to diversify income as crop prices weakened.

Electricity prices did rise last year, though experts attributed the increase to factors such as higher demand from data centers and manufacturing after years of relatively stable growth.

Farmland prices have also surged to record levels, driven in part by industrial demand, including for energy use. Still, renewable energy projects occupy only a fraction of US agricultural land.