President Donald Trump sharply criticized Europe, linking immigration and renewable energy projects to what he described as a broad decline across the continent. Speaking to reporters, Trump focused particularly on wind turbines, which he said are both environmentally harmful and a national security concern, while also highlighting the surge in immigration into European countries.
Trump says “Europe is gone” because of immigration and windmills pic.twitter.com/kVrHJZXnJ3
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 12, 2026
Trump framed the issue around energy infrastructure, saying that wind turbines are “the most expensive energy you can get” and attributing them to environmental and economic damage. “They’re all made in China, a little bit in Germany, but mostly in China. And we’re putting them all over our fields and ruining the fields and killing the birds and all of this,” he said. He added that Europe had suffered significantly as a result: “They ruined Europe—it’s gone, as you know, it’s gone. Europe isn’t even recognizable anymore. It’s between immigration and, because of, you know, environmental things like the windmills, which are taking over. The people hate them. Uh, the energy by far is the most expensive.”
Trump also emphasized his administration’s efforts in the United States to halt wind turbine construction, particularly near sensitive areas such as airports and military zones. He cited the example of turbines planned near Jamaica, Queens, noting that legal challenges have delayed some projects but describing them as “endangerment for the military” and a threat to airliners. He said, “We’re trying to make sure it doesn’t happen. I hope we don’t have one built during my administration. We inherited some contracts where, uh, they’ve gone down the line a little bit. We’re trying to terminate them for a lot of different reasons.”
In addition to energy infrastructure, Trump criticized immigration policies in Europe. Recent statistics underline the scale of the change he referenced: in 2022, the European Union received 5.1 million immigrants from non-EU countries, more than double the 2.4 million who arrived in 2021. Trump used these figures to frame a broader narrative of transformation in Europe, connecting migration flows to social and political change.
The prominence of wind turbines in Europe can be traced to aggressive government policies promoting renewable energy. Countries like Germany led early efforts to expand wind power in the 2000s, supported by subsidies and mandates for green energy. While intended to reduce carbon emissions, these projects have faced criticism for environmental disruption, high costs, and aesthetic impact, especially as turbines became widespread across rural and coastal areas.
Trump’s remarks combined these two issues—immigration and environmental policy—into a critique of Europe’s current trajectory. He framed wind energy expansion as emblematic of larger structural and cultural changes, suggesting that both immigration and renewable energy projects have contributed to a Europe that he considers unrecognizable today.
