Donald Trump is betting another $700 million of taxpayer money on dirty, dangerous, finite coal. It’s a losing bet: coal’s share of electricity generation in the United States dropped from half back during George W. Bush’s administration to less than a sixth in 2025. Meanwhile, power from wind and sunshine has become cheaper and more plentiful. And last month, for the first time, despite Trump‘s pigheaded effort to kill renewable energy, America got more electricity directly from the sun than from coal:
Solar overtook coal generation in the US electricity mix for the first month on record in May 2026, according to official monthly and preliminary hourly generation data analysed by global energy think tank Ember. Solar supplied a record 12.8% of US electricity, while coal fell to 12.2%, its fourth-lowest monthly share ever.
In May 2026, solar generated an all-time high total of 45.5 TWh, exceeding output in May 2025 by 17% and surpassing the previous record set in July last year….
Coal generation hit an all-time monthly low of 39.3 TWh in April 2026. Although coal output rose slightly to 43.4 TWh in May, it remained 11% below May 2025 levels [Ember Energy, press release, 2026.06.10].
In May, wind produced 11.5% of the nation’s juice. Wind has produced more American electricity than coal in three of the 16 months since Trump began his second term.
Solar power’s persistent rise can coal’s persistent decline are another example of how Donald Trump is really bad at turning his words into real policy results… in this case, much to the benefit of the nation, nature, and future generations.