It just seems like it is to the layman.

Ought from an is. Basic fallacy.

Building a nuclear plant takes ten years minimum and it’s incredibly expensive, and has a lower margin for profit. In that amount of time governments/companies can build tens of thousands of renewable energy stations.

No. France built many in half that length of time. It does have a low profit margin because it is the only energy source that fully captures it's external costs. Your solar power is only possible because the cells are "recycled" in places where they don't give a fuck.

The issue of waste from solar is real, but the fact is even with that waste it’s done far more to reduce emissions than nuclear ever has or ever could.

I want a citation of that. And given that nuclear power is seven decades old very much good luck with that.