At the World Economic Forum in Davos, US President Donald Trump delivered a speech lasting more than an hour — and made several claims that were either false or misleading. Many centered on Greenland, US defense commitments and NATO.

DW Fact check looked into some of the key statements.

Greenland, the centerpiece of Trump's speech

Trump repeatedly spoke about the US military presence in Greenland during World War II, presenting it as territory the US had once "returned" to Denmark. 

Claim: "We fought for Denmark. (...) We were fighting to save it. (...) All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland, where we had already been a trustee, but respectfully returned it to Denmark not long after we defeated the Germans, the Japanese, the Italians, and others in World War II. (...) We had it, and we gave it back to them."

DW Fact check: Misleading

The US did help defend Greenlandduring World War II, but it never owned the territory and therefore could not have "given it back" to Denmark.

Nor did the US fight a separate military campaign to liberate or "save" Denmark itself. When Nazi Germany occupied Denmark in April 1940, Greenland became cut off from the Danish government in Copenhagen.

To prevent Germany from exploiting Greenland's strategic location and its cryolite mines(critical for aircraft aluminum production), the United States intervened with the approval of Denmark's ambassador in Washington who acted independently because Denmark was under occupation.

The US established military bases, weather stations and airfieldsto defend Greenland — but its legal sovereignty never changed.

Although the German Wehrmacht  operated a weather station on Greenland and there were isolated clashes between the German army and Danish-led island patrols, Greenland was never completely occupied by Nazi Germany.

After World War II, Greenland remained part of the Kingdom of Denmark. US military activity continued through the Cold War, most notably with the construction of Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base). This presence was based on defense agreements, not on a transfer of ownership. At no point did Nazi Germany control Greenland nor did the United States acquire it from Germany. 

US cannot defend Greenland without ownership?

Claim: "And all we're asking for is to get Greenland, including the right title and ownership, because you need the ownership to defend it. You can't defend it on a lease. Number one. Legally, it's not defensible that way. Totally."

Fact check: Misleading

The United States is already mandated to help defend Greenland. Its defense arrangements are governed by agreements between Denmark and the United States, as well as by NATO obligations.

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

The US has bilateral defense agreements with Denmark that allow US military to operate in Greenland with Danish consent. Ownership is not legally required for defense cooperation if the government of that territory consents to defense cooperation.

Many countries — including the United States — operate military bases abroad under lease or basing agreements without claiming ownership.

According to a 2024 report by the US Congressional Research Service, the Department of Defense manages or uses more than 128 foreign bases in at least 51 countries. A 2021 report by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft estimates the number could exceed 750 installations across 80 countries and territories.

Examples include major bases in the Philippines, where the US maintained major military bases such as Clark air base and Subic Bay naval base for decades after World War II under long-term agreements without infringing on Philippines sovereignty.

It's not the first time that Trump has made false or misleading claims about Greendland. DW Fact check uncovered some in a previous fact check in March 2025. 

Claims about NATO spending

Trump repeated familiar assertions about the US bearing nearly all NATO costs.

Claim: "Until I came along," the US "was paying for virtually 100% of NATO," Trump said, adding, "We paid for, in my opinion, 100% of NATO."

DW Fact check: False

Official NATO figures show that in 2016, the year before Trump took office, the US accounted for a little over 70% of total defense spending by all NATO members. This is significant — but nowhere near 100%.

The US also contributes about 22% of NATO's relatively small common budget, which covers alliance headquarters and administrative costs, with the remainder paid by other member states.

Trump also made other inaccurate statements about NATO, including:

Claim: "The United States had never received anything from NATO, despite having paid for it."

Fact check: False

This claim ignores the support the United States received from NATO allies following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The collective defense clause under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty was triggered on September 12, 2001 — the first and, so far, only time in NATO's history.

As a result, several NATO countries, including Germany,  participated in international military missions alongside the US, including the International Security Assistance Force, Operation Enduring Freedom , and the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan.

The deployment of the German armed forces in Afghanistan lasted around 20 years and, according to the German government, cost approximately €12.3 billion through to August 2021. A total of 60 German soldiers lost their lives during the mission, according to Bundeswehr data.

China and wind energy

Claim: "China makes almost all wind turbines. And yet I couldn't find any wind farms in China." Trump further said China was very smart because it sold wind turbines to "stupid people" while not using them itself.

Fact check: False

In absolute terms, China produces more wind energy than any other country in the world. According to US Energy Information Administration (EIA), China generated 521 gigawatts of wind power in 2024 — around 40% of global wind energy production. The EIA notes that China is also expanding solar and wind energy "at record speed."

However, China still lags behind some countries in terms of the share of renewables in its electricity mix. According to Ember Energy, wind power accounted for about 12% of China's electricity mix in the first half of 2025. Overall, renewable energy sources made up around 23%, while coal accounted for 56%.

By comparison, renewable energy accounts for about 64% of electricity generation in Germany, with wind power alone contributing nearly 27%.

This is a collaborative project between ARD-faktenfinder, BR24 #Faktenfuchs and DW Fact check.

Edited by: Silja Thoms, Rachel Baig