Wind turbines cause cancer? Trump's 'idiotic' theory whips up storm
Last updated on: 05 April,2019 08:08 am
President Donald Trump suggested this week that wind turbines noise could cause cancer
WASHINGTON (AFP) - President Donald Trump has never been shy of sharing his dislike of wind turbines. But by suggesting this week that their noise could cause cancer, he stunned political friends and foes alike.
"It s an idiotic statement," Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday, echoing an earlier assessment by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.
Addressing a Republican fundraiser in Washington, the US president -- who routinely questions the science of climate change -- launched a lengthy attack on wind turbines which he called "windmills."
"They say the noise causes cancer," Trump told the gathering -- a theory not borne out by scientific research.
A staunch supporter of the coal industry, Trump has taken to cracking jokes at his rallies about wind power, which accounted for some six percent of US energy generation in 2016, according to the Energy Department.
"I d love to watch a show tonight, darling," Trump quipped last week to laughs from the crowd in Michigan. "The wind hasn t blown for three days."
"Darling, please, tell the wind to blow."