Examining Trump's Controversial Claims at Davos

Wed Feb 04 2026 01:30:42 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In his recent speech at the World Economic Forum, President Trump made several contested statements regarding Greenland, NATO funding, and China’s wind farms. Our fact-checking analysis reveals the inaccuracies in these claims.

During his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump made several controversial claims that have drawn scrutiny. These include assertions about the US's historical relationship with Greenland, its financial contributions to NATO, and the state of wind energy in China. Our fact-checking team investigates these claims against available evidence.

In a free-wheeling speech to world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump made a series of contested claims.

Trump touched on his desire to obtain Greenland from Denmark - which he referred to as a 'small ask', America's contribution to NATO, and wind energy in China.

His address - which lasted for more than an hour - contained a number of false assertions which BBC Verify has been looking at.

Did the US 'give Greenland back' after World War Two?

For weeks, Trump has spoken about his desire to acquire Greenland, a largely self-governing territory of Denmark. He has said it is critical to US national security.

At Davos, he said that after World War Two 'we gave Greenland back to Denmark,' adding: 'How stupid were we to do that?' But it was not America's to give back.

In 1933, an international court ruled that Greenland belonged to Denmark. Though the US and Danish representatives did sign an agreement in 1941 to defend Greenland against Nazi takeover, this did not involve a transfer of sovereignty.

Is the US paying for 'virtually 100%' of NATO's defence?

The US president criticized NATO and claimed that 'the United States was paying for virtually 100% of NATO.'

However, US spending on defense accounted for about 70% of total NATO country expenditures in recent years, with estimates projected to decrease to 62% by 2025 as NATO members commit to spending at least 2% of their GDP on defense.

Has the US gotten nothing back from NATO?

Trump claimed that the US had 'never gotten anything' from NATO. However, the collective defense principle is critical to NATO, and the US invoked Article 5 in response to the 9/11 attacks, which prompted contributions of troops from allied nations.

Does China have no wind farms?

Trump criticized wind energy and claimed he couldn't find any wind farms in China. This statement is inaccurate, as China operates one of the largest wind farms globally at Gansu.

Does the UK take 92% of North Sea oil revenue?

Referring to North Sea oil, Trump said the UK takes 92% of the revenues. In reality, operators pay a corporation tax of 30% on profits and additional taxes.

Has Trump secured $18 trillion worth of investments for the US?

Trump stated that the US had secured commitments for a record-breaking $18 trillion in investments, but public records from the White House show a total of $9.6 trillion. This discrepancy highlights the need for scrutiny of the claimed figures.