‘Remember that?’ Trump again asks Americans to recall something that never happened
Trump Asks Americans to Remember a TV Outage That Never Happened
Activelifezero.com – Remember that Trump again asks Americans to recall a television blackout supposedly caused by wind energy. During his recent visit to the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, the former president brought up a story about viewers missing a presidential debate because the wind stopped blowing. The catch? That blackout never actually occurred. This isn’t the first time Trump has asked people to remember something fictional, and wind energy remains one of his favorite targets for exaggeration and misrepresentation.
The Wind Energy Television Myth
Trump has long promoted a quirky claim that televisions stop working whenever wind turbines aren’t generating power. This narrative overlooks how modern electrical grids function. Wind energy represents only one piece of the nation’s power puzzle, not the entire system. Homes continue receiving electricity from multiple sources, ensuring their televisions stay on regardless of wind conditions. Battery storage technology further supports this reality by capturing excess energy for later use.
Despite these facts, Trump has repeatedly shared this no-television story with such confidence that it escaped serious scrutiny. At the EPA event, he presented the tale as a genuine shared memory rather than an invention.
“The whole country was – I wasn’t scammed. I got it right from the beginning; I got it from the first minute when I heard this crap. You know? They were saying wind was so wonderful, so wonderful, except you couldn’t watch your television. They wanted to watch the debate, Donald Trump against Sleepy Joe Biden. Nobody could watch it because the wind wasn’t blowing. Remember that?”
He then mimicked a couple’s conversation: “‘Darling, we’d like to watch the debate tonight.’ ‘I’m sorry, the wind isn’t blowing.'”
What Actually Happened
Contrary to Trump’s version of events, over 51 million Americans watched his June 2024 debate with President Joe Biden according to Nielsen data. Many of these viewers lived in Texas, which produced the most wind-generated electricity in the country in 2024. Texas remains the leading wind energy producer today and was one of the states Trump won in the election.
Biden pushed for renewable energy goals during his presidency, setting a target for 100 percent clean electricity by 2035. Congress did not pass the Green New Deal, a progressive proposal calling for all U.S. energy needs to come from clean sources within ten years. Wind power contributed roughly 10 percent of total American electricity generation in 2024, according to federal records.
Other Claims at the EPA
The television story was not Trump’s only invention that day. He also claimed California suffers “brownouts and blackouts every weekend,” which is completely false. Similar incorrect statements about California’s power supply have circulated for years.
A Governor Gavin Newsom spokesperson stated in a Friday email that “there hasn’t been a rolling blackout in nearly six years in California” and added that “California’s grid hasn’t had to call for any emergency conservation through the Flex Alert program since 2022, which is proof that the state’s investment in clean energy and battery storage is paying off.”
Trump also complained twice about receiving “no credit” for what he called “$19.2 trillion” in investment during his first twelve months in office. This number is inaccurate because the United States has not received anywhere close to that amount in the current administration, let alone in just one year. The White House has been unable to confirm this figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did wind energy really cause a TV blackout during the 2024 debate? No. Over 51 million Americans watched the debate, including many in Texas, the top wind energy-producing state.
How much of U.S. electricity comes from wind power? Wind energy accounted for approximately 10 percent of total U.S. net electricity generation in 2024.
Has California experienced rolling blackouts recently? According to Governor Newsom’s office, California has not had a rolling blackout in nearly six years and has not needed Flex Alert conservation since 2022.
What is the Biden administration’s clean energy goal? President Biden established a target for the United States to achieve 100 percent clean electricity by 2035.
