Trump tells crowd ‘you’d all converse German’ if not for US – in German-speaking nation
US President Donald Trump branded Denmark and Greenland “ungrateful” during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, warning “we will remember” if they don’t comply with his demands for Greenland. Social media users described the speech as “unhinged”
Donald Trump at Davos.(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Donald Trump declared to a Switzerland crowd they would “all be speaking German” if not for the US intervention in WW2 – despite German being the country’s dominant language.
Eagle-eyed social media users were quick to point out the glaring error in the middle of Trump’s “unhinged” speech delivered to the World Economic Forum. The US President also labelled Denmark and Greenland “ungrateful” during the Davos speech,
Trump went on to declare: “I have tremendous respect for the people of Greenland and Denmark, but every NATO member has the obligation to defend their own territory. Only the US can defend it [Greenland].”
He stated: “We literally set up bases in Greenland for Denmark, we were fighting for Denmark, but we saved Greenland and prevented our enemies from getting it. Greenland is a vast, almost uninhabitated piece of ice. It’s in a key, strategic location between the US, China, and Russia.”
In his latest broadside against European allies, during which he branded Denmark “ungrateful,” he also denounced America’s post-Second World War decision to “give Greenland back to Denmark” as “stupid”, reports the Express.
Following his repeated threats to seize Greenland, Trump continued: “We need it [Greenland] for strategic national security and international security. The island is part of North America, it is our territory. It is the US alone that can protect this great piece of ice and make it that it is safe and good for Europe.
“I am seeking immediate negotiations to discuss the acquisition of this territory, just as we have acquired many other territories throughout our history, as many of the European nations have”. He insisted that “this would not be a threat to Nato,” but it “would greatly enhance the security of the alliance”.
During his address, Trump also dismissed the possibility of seizing Greenland through military force. “We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that. I don’t have to use force, I don’t want to use force, I won’t use force.”
The US President also expressed his desire for a “strong and united West”. He declared: “Economic growth must be a central concern to see a strong and united West. We want Europe to be strong.”
Trump also issued a warning that he “will remember” should Denmark and Greenland reject his demands. He stated: “We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it. We’ve never asked for anything else and we could have kept that piece of land and we didn’t. So they have a choice: you can say yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember.”
Whilst he delivered his marathon speech, which ran for over an hour, social media users slammed the US President’s remarks, with one branding it as “completely unhinged”. Another labelled the address as “unhinged and confused” and remarked: “This is beyond embarrassing.”
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