President Donald Trump joked about harnessing wind power during his address to the House Republicans' annual retreat in Baltimore. "They kill all the birds, the energy is intermittent. You happen to be watching the Democratic debate and the wind is not blowing, you are not going to see them," he said.
"Charlie, what the hell happened to this debate? He says, darling, the wind is not blowing. The goddamn windmill stopped. That windmill stopped," Trump joked.
He also poked fun at his former rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her support of wind power and said he supports using solar energy while acknowledging its limitations.
"Hillary wanted windmills. She wanted solar. Solar is fine, you know, small potatoes compared to what we are talking about. Does not have the power that you need. I love solar," he said. "I think solar is good, but it is limited."
His attack on Clinton echoed previous attacks he made on the use of windmills to harness wind power. He had previously claimed the noise they generate cause cancer and they are a "graveyard for birds."
During last night's address, the president also criticized windmills for being constructed in countries like China and Germany.
"The wind is very expensive because you put up those windmills, I know it very well," he said.
"First of all, they are made in Germany and China. Think of the pollutants that go in the air when they are making these massive steel things. If it is anywhere near your house, your house goes way down in value. Try dropping a windmill someplace close to your house. Try selling your house."
During Thursday night's Democratic debate, presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.) told President Trump to "go back to watching Fox News," despite the fact that Trump was delivering his remarks at the same time as the debate.
"So President Trump, you've spent the last two-and-a-half years full-time trying to sow hate and division among us, and that is why we've gotten nothing done," she said, adding later, "And now President Trump, you can go back to watching Fox News."