At the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, Trump gave a more than one-hour speech, in which several of his statements were at odds with the facts or highly misleading.

Below are the results of fact-checking by DW and German TV Channel One on five claims made by Trump in his speech.

Wind power generation in China accounted for about 40% of the global total in 2024.

1. Trump said: "The more wind turbines a country has, the more losses it incurs and the worse its situation becomes." He also claimed, "Almost all wind turbines are made in China. However, I couldn't find any wind farms in China." He added that China is very smart because it sells wind turbines to stupid people, but doesn't use them itself.

False.

China's wind power generation exceeds that of any other country in absolute terms.

According to data published by the professional think tank Ember Energy, China's wind power generation reached 992 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2024, accounting for about 40% of the global wind power generation. Another non-governmental organization, Global Energy Monitor (GEM), reported that China is developing solar and wind energy at an unprecedented pace: the utility-scale wind and solar power capacity installed in China in 2025 reached as high as 510 gigawatts, an increase of 57% compared to the same period last year.

However, in terms of the electricity mix, China lags significantly behind some countries in the share of renewable energy. According to Ember Energy's estimate, wind power accounted for only 12% of China's electricity mix up until the first half of 2025. Overall, renewable energy accounts for about 23% of China's electricity mix, while coal power accounts for 56%. In comparison, renewable energy accounts for 64% of Germany's electricity mix, with wind power alone accounting for nearly 27%.

Trump gave a long speech at Davos, spreading a bunch of Fake News Image source: Denis Balibouse/REUTERS

2. Trump said: "We fought for Denmark, not for anyone else. We fought to save Denmark. [...] What we asked for was Greenland, and we used to be its administrator. Soon after defeating Germany, Japan, Italy, and other countries in World War II, we returned Greenland to Denmark. We gave it back to them."

Misleading.

During World War II, the United States did indeed help defend Greenland, but it never occupied the island, so it could not have "returned" it to Denmark. The United States also never launched a military operation alone to liberate or "save" Denmark. Nazi Germany occupied Denmark in April 1940, cutting off Greenland's connection with the Danish government in Copenhagen.

To prevent Germany from using Greenland's strategic location and its cryolite mines—used to produce aluminum needed for aircraft—the United States intervened. As Denmark was under occupation at the time, the Danish ambassador in Washington, acting as a government-in-exile, approved the U.S. defense of Greenland. U.S. forces established military bases, weather stations, and airports on the island, effectively protecting it from German aggression, but the legal sovereignty of Greenland remained unchanged.

There were sporadic clashes between Nazi German forces and Danish island patrols, but Greenland was never occupied by Nazi Germany.

After World War II, Greenland remained part of the Kingdom of Denmark. During the Cold War, the United States continued its military activities in Greenland, most notably the construction of Pituffik Space Base. The U.S. military presence was based on multiple defense agreements and never represented a transfer of ownership of Greenland. Nazi Germany never controlled Greenland, and the United States never seized it from Germany.

Trump: The U.S. returned Greenland to Denmark after World War II Image source: Marko Djurica/REUTERS

3. Trump said: "What we asked for was nothing more than acquiring Greenland, including legal ownership and property rights, because only with ownership can you defend it. You cannot defend it through leasing. That's the first point. Legally, that simply doesn't work at all."

Misleading.

The United States has been authorized to defend Greenland. NATO's collective defense clause and multiple agreements between Denmark and the United States stipulate that the U.S. defends Greenland.

Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and is protected by NATO's collective defense clause, Article 5, which states that an attack on any member state is considered an attack on all members.

Additionally, there are bilateral defense agreements between the U.S. and Denmark that allow U.S. military operations in Greenland without changing sovereignty.

Many countries operate military bases overseas, and they do so based on lease or base agreements, without owning the territory. According to a report by the Congressional Research Service in 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense manages or uses over 128 overseas bases in at least 51 countries (Quincy Institute).

4. Trump said: "Before I took office, the U.S. bore almost 100% of the costs of NATO." "In my view, we bore 100% of the costs of NATO."

False.

NATO official data show that in 2016, the year before Trump's first term as president, the U.S. defense spending accounted for more than 70% of the total defense spending of all NATO member states. Although this proportion is high, it is far from 100%.

Moreover, the U.S. also bears about 22% of the common NATO budget, which is used to pay for the costs of the alliance headquarters and administrative expenses, with the rest being covered by other member states.

The NATO's only time the collective defense clause was activated was at the request of the U.S. Image source: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

5. Trump said: "Despite bearing the costs, the U.S. has never received anything in return from NATO."

False.

This statement ignores the support the U.S. received from NATO allies following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On September 12, 2001, the NATO Article 5 collective defense clause was triggered at the request of the U.S.—the only time in NATO history that the clause has been invoked.

Several NATO countries joined the U.S. in various international military operations, including the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. During the approximately 20-year Afghan campaign, Germany spent 12.3 billion euros and had 59 soldiers killed. Denmark sent troops immediately and had more than 40 soldiers killed, making it the country with the highest casualty rate among NATO forces.

Source: DW

Original: toutiao.com/article/7598207958069101066/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.