President Donald Trump has made some brazenly unsubstantiated claims over not just the course of his presidency, but his business career, and life in general. In fact, in December of 2015, about six month after announcing his candidacy for president, FactCheck.org dubbed him the “King of Whoppers.” “In the 12 years of FactCheck.org’s existence, we’ve never seen his match,” stated the nonprofit website. “He stands out not only for the sheer number of his factually false claims, but also for his brazen refusals to admit error when proven wrong.”
Yet somehow, incredibly, Trump somehow managed to outdo himself this week, when — speaking at a Republican fundraising dinner in Washington — he went off on a rant about wind energy, or turbines to be accurate. “If you have a windmill anywhere near your house, congratulations, your house just went down 75 percent in value,” he told those in attendance.
“And they say the noise causes cancer,” he continued. “You told me that one, OK.” [makes circles with his hands and a turbine-like noise with his mouth] “You know the thing makes so…”
Now, while there has been controversy over whether wind turbines can contribute to health issues such as hearing loss, nausea, and sleep disorders (with scientific consensus suggesting otherwise), we all know noise doesn’t cause cancer. Not if it comes from a windmill or any other source. It just doesn’t. The President of the United States is pulling a Don Quixote.
And that, is why on Thursday, #WindmillsCauseCancer was the top trending hashtag on Twitter, as there was no shortage of ridicule on hand.
Posting this for Windmill Noise Cancer Awareness Day. #WindmillsCauseCancer pic.twitter.com/eoY3VSsoo6
— Murray Valeriano (@murrayv) April 4, 2019
Went out for a fun game of Putt Putt last night and came home with cancer. #WindmillsCauseCancer pic.twitter.com/U9zKkPUgiy
— Ben (@BennyEastSide) April 4, 2019
Why trump is really afraid of windmills. #WindmillsCauseCancer pic.twitter.com/VEVT2pejQm
— For Real Name (@fvbhon) April 4, 2019
This map shows all the Americans at risk. When will we declare a national emergency? #WindmillsCauseCancer pic.twitter.com/5yEOfgFzCN
— Mark Strauss (@MarkDStrauss) April 4, 2019
https://twitter.com/carlprekopp/status/1113719447095844864
https://twitter.com/Kaessa/status/1113793628839665665
A LAWNMOWER IS A WINDMILL BUT SHARP!!!!#WindmillsCauseCancer pic.twitter.com/ZnnYfpslaP
— Dr. Mike Sell (@mike_sell) April 4, 2019
https://twitter.com/John_R_Maun/status/1113776772770873345
Trump thought stealth jets were LITERALLY invisible to the naked eye, forgot what country his father was born in, and even though he has endless intelligence access– gets his news from Sean Hannity. So, the windmill thing isn't even surprising.
— Farrah Alexander (@AuthorFarrah) April 4, 2019
https://twitter.com/Ellelayye/status/1113846382014676998
Share this ribbon to raise awareness for #windmillcancer! #WindmillsCauseCancer, but together, we can blow it away! #windmillcancerblows! pic.twitter.com/RbulAhKsXG
— nerdypunkdude (@bennynogood) April 4, 2019
#WindmillsCauseCancer & it’s totally safe to stare directly at the sun. pic.twitter.com/QwRKgSuXRc
— Naugus Helmut (@mattdcollin) April 4, 2019
Others just pointed out how extremely backwards Trump’s line of thinking is:
https://twitter.com/CleveWootson/status/1113825743933407233
NOT using windmills, and relying on dirty fossil fuel energy. Now THAT causes cancer. https://t.co/mjx47Z30d4
— Brett Erlich ⬆️ (@bretterlich) April 4, 2019
What windmills do:
➡️ convert wind energy to electricity
➡️ provide a renewable, clean source of energy that doesn't produce greenhouse gas emissions
➡️ have a low impact on the environmentWhat windmills don't do:
➡️ Cause cancer through noise#WindmillsCauseCancer— Eva Putzova (@EvaPutzova) April 4, 2019
Just another day in paradise.