President Donald Trump targeted New Jersey in a recent social media post — but got one critical fact wrong.
Trump suggested on Tuesday that energy-generating windmills in New Jersey are to blame for the skyrocketing energy prices that have plagued households this summer.
“STUPID AND UGLY WINDMILLS ARE KILLING NEW JERSEY. Energy prices up 28% this year, and not enough electricity to take care of state. STOP THE WINDMILLS!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump’s statement, however, is misleading because those offshore wind projects never got built off the coast of the Garden State. In fact, wind energy is responsible for nearly none of New Jersey’s total electricity.
Atlantic Shores, one of the companies slated to build around 200 wind turbines off the Jersey Shore, announced in June it would be canceling its project amid challenging economic and political conditions. The announcement came five months after energy giant Shell withdrew its stake in the project.
Prior to that, Danish company Ørsted in 2023 ended development of its ocean-based wind farm, which was to become the first of its kind in the state.
Trump has frequently targeted the wind farm projects in New Jersey and throughout the country. Earlier this year, he signed executive actions against the industry, essentially preventing companies from building offshore wind farms.
In a separate Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump lashed out at states with wind and solar energy sources, blaming them for rising energy prices. He did not provide any details for why he believes solar and wind energy is increasing energy costs.
“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!!!” he wrote in his post.
New Jersey’s electricity is barely powered by wind energy — even as some argue more renewable energy would lower costs.
Renewable resources, including wind and solar energy, make up 8% of total in-state electricity generation in New Jersey, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). In 2023, wind energy supplied just 0.3% of New Jersey’s renewable electricity generation, according to the EIA.
Trump’s attacks on renewable energy come as many states, including New Jersey, have seen a rise in energy prices. Local providers in New Jersey hiked rates by up to 20% as residents battle an unusually hot summer in the Garden State.
Experts have said that the actual cost of electricity has increased this year, causing energy bills for residents to skyrocket. Renewable energy sources in New Jersey do not appear to be the problem for rising costs as demand has also increased during the hot summer months.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed a law Friday ordering the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to investigate PJM Interconnection, New Jersey’s primary grid operator.
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