CNN’s Abby Phillip hosts a panel discussion on President Trump halting federal leases for five of the largest offshore wind projects under construction. Scott Jennings, Tim Parrish, Nina Turner, and Adam Mockler debate whether Trump’s longstanding disdain for windmills undermines an “all of the above” energy policy. “What Energy Secretary Doug Burgum would say is, if we’re going to use federal resources or federal land, we should focus on things that are far more efficient, like nuclear or a pipeline,” Scott Jennings said. “In this case, one pipeline would be the equivalent of all five of these projects. So, the policy argument here is that there are better ways to get the energy we need.” “We call it windmill derangement syndrome,” Adam Mockler said. “And he invoked ‘national security concerns,’ which is just a weird trick to not have to exactly explain what you’re doing.” Nina Turner suggests: “We name them the Trump Windmills, and we make them gold. And he will love the windmills.” “I got to say that I don’t quite understand this one because I know the conservative position is supporting an all-the-above approach to energy,” Tim Parrish said. “So, I am happy that our friends on the left are joining us in saying that we should have the all of the above approach to energy.”

ABBY PHILLIP: Tonight, Donald Trump deals a blow to the U.S. offshore wind industry as the administration halted federal leases for five of the largest offshore wind projects under construction, citing unspecified national security concerns. Now, the move comes as electricity demand nationwide is soaring, along with energy costs for millions of Americans. But today’s escalation is just the latest in Trump’s long war against one of his biggest political enemies — the wind. TRUMP: I never understood wind — you know I know windmills very much. I’ve studied it better than anybody… They’re noisy. They kill the birds. You want to see a bird graveyard? You just go. Take a look. A bird graveyard? Go under a windmill someday. And they say the noise causes cancer. You tell me that one, okay? The windmills are driving the whales crazy, obviously… We will not allow a windmill to be built in the United States. They’re killing us. They’re killing the beauty of our scenery, our valleys, our beautiful plains. And I’m not talking about airplanes. I’m talking about beautiful plains. Wind is the worst. It’s a big, it’s a big — that’s a scam. PHILLIP: I thought this was the all of the above energy administration. $ 25 billion worth of projects suspended, 2.5 million homes that could have been powered won’t be, 10,000 jobs — all because Trump believes a conspiracy theory that the sound causes cancer? SCOTT JENNINGS: Well, you know what they say, Abby, “He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind,” — to the book of Proverbs. Look, the President has a long standing, as we noted, aversion to windmills. He’s campaigned on it. He has talked about it as much as anything. I do think if you — and look, I know people in the conservative movement who like windmills and they would say something like, well, we need all the electrons we can get no matter how we can make them. Now, the counter to that and what Doug Burgum would say is, if we’re going to use federal resources, federal land or any kind of federal resources, we should focus on things that are far more efficient, like nuclear or a pipeline, which in this case, one pipeline I think would be the equivalent of all five of these projects. So, the policy argument here is there’s better ways to get the energy we need. PHILLIP: Some of these projects have already been paid for. These, you know, maybe that’s true. Maybe there are other more efficient things. JENNINGS: Not maybe, there are. PHILLIP: There are lots of forms of energy that are more efficient than others. That’s true. But why would you say that you’re just going to get rid of the whole thing? Because honestly, it’s really because Trump doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like the way that it looks. And aesthetics is the most important thing to him. ADAM MOCKLER: We call it windmill derangement syndrome. It’s windmill derangement syndrome that he has. That’s what you were describing. And he invoked national security concerns, which is just a weird trick to not have to exactly explain what you’re doing when you’re revoking these leases. At the end of the day, there’s a lot of economic problems, and I don’t think this addresses the core of them. Like you pointed out, this hurts jobs. People in my generation are already facing unemployment, a higher unemployment rate than when Biden left office. It is now above 10 percent, even 11 percent in some stats. I mean, the economy is not doing well for people in my generation. I don’t think windmills are what — what we’re focusing on right now. And when it comes to — JENNINGS: And you think the future for your generation is in the windmill business? MOCKLER: No, I think that climate change is very real and I think that long term, we should try to focus on climate change. JENNINGS: You kwon how they make the components of windmills? MOCKLER: At the same time, I think that long term jobs are good. NINA TURNER: Part of, I mean, if the GOP, part of innovation, I mean, let’s take in all the President’s concerns. God bless the whales and the birds. God bless them. I want the President to be just as concerned. JENNINGS: Fine, I’ll take up for the birds here. Fine. TURNER: What about the people who are about to lose their health care, but I’m going to put that in the parking lot. Abby, I know what will make the President love the wind. We name them the Trump Windmills and we make them gold. And he will love the windmills. PHILLIP: I’m sure if they were gold, he would like them a lot more. I mean, one of the other things is that red states have also embraced wind, especially states like Iowa, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas. These are all states that are actually actively relying on wind. And they’re not affected by this offshore because these are coastal states that are doing offshore projects. But Trump wants to kill this industry altogether. And that does mean jobs. That does mean that states that have started to supplement their energy grid with wind energy are going to lose that if he’s successful. TIM PARRISH: Yes, Abby, I mean, I got to say that I don’t quite understand this one because I know that, you know, the conservative position is supporting an all-the-above approach to energy. And this in particular is going to hurt the Commonwealth of Virginia, where one of these major projects is 80 percent of the world’s internet traffic, runs through the Commonwealth of Virginia, particularly Northern Virginia. And so from the energy perspective, we need all of these things. And so, I am happy that our friends on the left are joining us in saying that we should have the all of the above approach to energy, including like things like the Keystone XL pipeline. We should have all of the above approach to energy. I don’t get this one, but I agree with Nina. We probably should make them gold and maybe they will — this will go away. JENNINGS: Let me just make sure I understand this. You hate birds. You hate whales. You want to mess up submarines. TURNER: We just didn’t know that the President loves whales and birds so much. JENNINGS: He does. He’s always saying — and by the way, they do mess up the birds. Are you pro-nuclear? Are you guys pro-nuclear? TURNER: The point about jobs, I mean — So let’s have this conversation. I mean, the type of innovation that is needed to give working class people better jobs. I know my city of Cleveland, Ohio, because certainly — MOCKLER: Wait, electricity prices are skyrocketing right now. This does not help electricity prices. It does not help the American people. It’s another example of Trump following his weird vengeance ambitions rather than actually focusing on affordability.

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