Donald Trump has claimed the noise from wind turbines can cause cancer.

The US president made the bizarre claim at the National Republican Congressional Committee spring dinner, after saying having one near your house would reduce its value by 75%.

He said: "Hillary [Clinton] wanted to put up wind.

"If you have a windmill anywhere near your house, congratulations your house just went down 75% in value. And they say the noise causes cancer, you tell me that one, okay?"

Image: Mr Trump said having a wind turbine near your house would reduce its value by 75%

Wind power or wind turbine syndrome is a term coined to refer to illnesses people perceive they get by living close to turbines.


Simon Chapman, professor of public health at the University of Sydney, wrote in The Conservation that the syndrome can be classed as a "psychogenic condition" which spreads by the "nocebo" effect of being talked about.

He said: "People who don't like wind farms can often be annoyed and worried by them: some might even worry themselves sick."

According to Jorg Muhlhans, a psychoacoustic researcher at the University of Vienna, the concerns about ill health near turbines comes from myths around infrasound, referring to sounds which are outside the human range of hearing.

He told The Atlantic the term was first coined in the 1960s by Vladimir Gavreau, who did not have any method for measuring infrasound.

Mr Trump's comments came during a wide-ranging speech to Republican supporters, in which he also admitted he calls Chinese President Xi Jinping "king" and that the Democrats have the advantage on healthcare.

He said: "I was in China making a speech, President Xi, who is a strong man. I call him king.

"He said 'but I am not king, I am president'. I said 'no - you're president for life and therefore you're king'. He said 'huh. Huh'. He liked that. I call him king. I get along with him great."

Mr Xi has been in power since 2012 and is the head of the Communist Party of China, the country's only political party.

Last year, China's parliament broadened his power and scrapped limits to his terms.

Image: The US leader said he called his Chinese counterpart 'king' as he was 'president for life'

Preparing for the 2020 election race, Mr Trump also addressed the healthcare issue in the US.

He said: "We're going to keep the Senate and we're going to keep the presidency and we're going to bring back the House. So essentially what I'm saying is, we're going to come up with a health care plan.

"Republicans should not run away from healthcare.

"You can't do it. You're going to get clobbered."