U.S. President Donald Trump used a July 8 cabinet meeting to sharply criticize renewable energy, calling wind and solar power costly and damaging to the country’s landscape. “We don’t want wind or solar,” he said, describing the technologies as “a blight on our country.” Trump argued that wind turbines are “very expensive, bad for planes and valleys” and kill birds, while claiming that China operates “very few” wind farms. On solar, he contended the panels are inefficient and contain “too much plastic from China,” adding that shuttering domestic solar installations would benefit the United States. The remarks underscore the administration’s preference for coal and natural gas even as states such as Texas—now the nation’s largest wind-energy producer—expand renewable capacity. The White House did not announce any new policy measures during the meeting.