As Offshore Wind War Heats Up, Trump's Flop Sweat Is Showing

The article discusses President Donald Trump's recent decision on December 22 to halt construction at the 2.6-gigawatt Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, marking a significant escalation in his longstanding opposition to the U.S. offshore wind industry. Despite Trump's vocal threats since January, the CVOW project had previously been exempt from federal interference, possibly due to intervention by Virginia's Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, who supported the project despite his alignment with Trump. This protection ended following the November 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election, where a Democrat won, aligning Virginia with other Democratic-led states that host offshore wind projects. Trump's new order also affects four other major offshore wind projects in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York, citing national security concerns as justification. However, this rationale is questioned because these projects had already passed extensive multi-agency national security reviews prior to approval. The timing and nature of the order suggest political motivations tied to partisan conflicts rather than new security threats.