Two of the offshore wind turbines that have been constructed off the coast of Virginia Beach, on June 29, 2020. “I hate wind,” Trump told the executives over a meal of chopped steak at his Mar-a-Lago Club and resort in Florida, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation.
Pointing out the window to the Atlantic Ocean at one point, one attendee said, the former president claimed that offshore wind turbines break down when they are exposed to saltwater — though these projects are designed to resist saltwater corrosion. Bernhardt, who now chairs the Center for American Freedom at the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank, did not respond to requests for comment. Bernhardt has been talking with energy executives and others in recent weeks about policies in a second Trump term, according to a person familiar with the outreach, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.