Is Trump’s Energy Czar Lying About Work Experience in Solar?
Donald Trump’s secretary of energy, Chris Wright, has repeatedly claimed that he has past experience working in the solar energy sector. But there’s no evidence that Wright ever studied, invested in, or worked in solar.
President Donald Trump holds an executive orders on American energy production during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on April 8, 2025, in Washington, DC. Trump was joined by (left to right) EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, interior secretary Doug Bergum, and energy secretary Chris Wright. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)
During Chris Wright’s January 2025 confirmation hearing as secretary of energy, his home state senator, John Hickenlooper (D-CO), expressed concern about the pace of climate change. Wright agreed that climate change was a serious issue, citing his twenty-year career in diverse energy sectors, including renewables.
“The solution to climate change is to evolve our energy system,” he told Hickenlooper. “I’ve worked on that most — all of my career, again in nuclear and solar, and geothermal and new battery storage technology now.”
This is far from the first time Wright has noted he’s worked in solar. Wright — the former founder, chief executive, and chair of Colorado-based Liberty Energy, one of the country’s top fracking companies — has claimed in public appearances, organizational biographies, on his LinkedIn profile, and even formal testimony before Congress that he spent parts of his career working in solar energy.
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.