Summary
President Donald Trump gave a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he made several statements about topics like Greenland, NATO, wind energy, and more. BBC Verify checked these statements and found some to be inaccurate. Trump's claims about NATO funding, US benefits from NATO, and wind farms in China were all disputed based on available facts.
Key Facts
- President Trump claimed the US "gave Greenland back" to Denmark after World War Two, which is incorrect as Greenland has belonged to Denmark since an international court ruling in 1933.
- Trump said the US pays "virtually 100%" of NATO's defense costs, but US defense spending accounted for about 62-70% of total NATO spending, not 100%.
- He claimed NATO countries now pay 5% of their GDP on defense, but no country currently reaches that level.
- The US has benefited from NATO, invoking Article 5 after the 9/11 attacks, which led to NATO allies supporting the US-led military efforts in Afghanistan.
- Trump stated that China has no wind farms, but China generates more wind energy than any other country and hosts some of the largest wind farms in the world.
- The specific claim about the UK and North Sea oil revenue was cut off and not detailed in the article.
