President Donald Trump has once again reignited his long-running opposition to wind power—this time by posting a photo of a dead bird he claimed proved wind turbines are killing America’s Bald Eagles. The image, however, does not depict a Bald Eagle and did not originate in the United States.
On Tuesday, Trump shared a series of posts attacking wind energy, culminating in a photograph of a dead brown raptor lying beneath a wind turbine. Alongside the image, he wrote, “Windmills are killing all of our beautiful Bald Eagles!” The post quickly drew attention, with critics questioning both the accuracy of the claim and the origin of the image.
A reverse image search using Google Lens traced the photograph to two Israeli news reports—one published by Haaretz in 2017 and another by The Times of Israel in 2019. The photo is credited to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. According to Haaretz, the bird shown is a falcon, while The Times of Israel identified it more specifically as a kestrel. In either case, the bird is not a Bald Eagle, a species native to North America.
Trump’s opposition to windmills is not new. His criticism dates back more than a decade, notably to 2012 when he testified before the Scottish Parliament against the installation of wind turbines near his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland. Despite his objections, 11 turbines were ultimately constructed, prompting Trump to label them “some of the ugliest you’ve ever seen.”
Over the years, Trump has repeatedly attacked wind energy on aesthetic, economic, and health grounds. In 2019, he claimed—without evidence—that wind turbine noise causes cancer, stating, “They say the noise causes cancer.” More recently, in July, he again dismissed windmills as harmful and inefficient.
“I think windmills are a disgrace,” Trump said aboard Air Force One while returning from a trip to Scotland. “They hurt everything they touch. They’re ugly. They’re very inefficient. It’s the most expensive form of energy there is.”
The latest post adds to a pattern of inflammatory claims about renewable energy that experts and fact-checkers have repeatedly disputed. While bird deaths from various human-made structures—including buildings and power lines—are well documented, the image Trump cited does not support his assertion about Bald Eagles or U.S. wind turbines.
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