A proclamation that President Donald Trump signed on October 22, 2026, said the US intends to continue trade negotiations and not impose new tariffs on wind turbines imports after a Section 232 investigation.
The probe, launched in August 2025 by the Commerce Department, led Trump to order Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to collaboratively open or continue negotiations with trading partners in order to resolve concerns related to imports of wind turbines along with their components. Trump has ordered officials to not impose new tariffs on wind turbines imports and to report back to him in 180 days on the progress of talks.
The proclamation says the U.S. relies on imports of wind turbines and parts, which have grown over the past decade. The probe’s findings also revealed that foreign-made wind turbines as well as parts pose unique cybersecurity dangers, Trump said. The president pointed to inverters, noting that the vast majority of the components are made outside the U.S. Many tariffs have been imposed as a consequence of past Section 232 investigations by the Trump administration, including on drones as well as components, furniture imports, and also certain semiconductors. Trump’s latest order stops short of category-specific tariffs, however, there are some wind turbines as well as parts that will be subject to tariffs on steel and copper, as well as aluminum.
The order doesn’t cover those tariffs. Trump also said in an October 22, 2026, missive that he would look into alternative solutions depending on what comes out of negotiations.
Trump’s decision on wind turbines and parts is nothing new in his second term. He has put in place several new tariffs since he returned to the Oval Office. The president issued a comparable order in July 2026 following a Section 232 investigation when it comes to imports of commercial aircraft and jet engines as well as parts.
These most recent actions by Trump come as his administration is continuing to attack the wind energy sector, including efforts to withdraw offshore wind approvals and compensate developers to cancel offshore wind leases.
In the October 22 order, Trump called wind energy uncertain and a load as far as the domestic power grid is concerned, referring to the findings of the Section 232 probe.
