Donald Trump at the forum in Davos. The BBC examines the controversy surrounding his speech
Donald Trump's speech, lasting over an hour, it contained a number of false claims. Their analysis was undertaken by BBC Verify journalists. Here are the most important ones.
The rest of the article below the video:
Donald Trump wants to regain Greenland from Denmark. Has the United States ever owned an island?
The issue of Greenland is currently a very sensitive topic. In his speech, Donald Trump said he wanted her back. He stated that after World War II, “we gave Greenland to Denmark,” adding: “How stupid was it to do that?“.
The BBC recalls that in 1933 the international court – the predecessor of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ruled that Greenland belongs to Denmark.
The next act of this story took place in 1941, a year after Denmark surrendered to Germany. An agreement was then signed allowing the US to defend Greenland. In this way, they wanted to prevent the island from being taken over by the Nazis. The agreement led to the construction of bases and the deployment of American troops there.
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However, the agreement did not involve a transfer of sovereignty, meaning Greenland never became a US territory.
The US covers “virtually 100 percent” of NATO defense costs
Another controversial claim by Donald Trump concerned NATO. The President of the United States stated that “The United States covers virtually 100 percent. NATO costs“. He also referred to the level of contributions from the alliance member states. “They did not pay 2 percent, and now they pay 5 percent,” he said.
The BBC notes that none of these claims are true. In recent years, US defense spending accounted for approximately 70 percent. total spending of NATO countries. In 2024, this value dropped to 65%. The level for 2025 is not yet known, but it is estimated that we will see another decline – to 62%.
Trump also boasted that now everyone pays 5%, which is thanks to him. This is also quite inaccurate. The commitment to increase defense spending to this level is a long-term commitment. The goal is to be achieved by 2035.
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Even Poland, the undisputed leader in recent years when it comes to increasing defense spending, according to the latest estimates, in 2025 it will allocate approximately 4.5% for this purpose.
The US never received anything from NATO
Donald Trump said the US “never received anything” from NATO and “never asked for anything.”
The problem is, no. The United States is the only member of the alliance to invoke Article 5, doing so after the September 11 attacks.
NATO responded to the call by sending troops, among others. to Afghanistan and Iraq.
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The BBC notes that Denmark was among the countries that did so. It also reminds us that this is also a country that has suffered one of the highest per capita loss rates among U.S. allies.
Donald Trump on energy. China has no wind farms
The US president also criticized wind energy, which he said was part of the “new green scam”. He pointed to China, saying that while it produces many wind turbines, he “hasn't been able to find any wind farms in China.”
In response to this claim, the BBC notes that China they have one of the largest wind farms in the world in Gansu, which is clearly visible on satellite photos, e.g. on Google Maps.
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It's also worth noting that According to Our World in Data China generates more wind energy than any other country. In 2024, it was 997 terawatt hours of wind energy. That's more than twice as many as the United States, which took second place.
