U.S. President Donald Trump has asserted that without American involvement in World War II, European nations would be speaking German and “a little Japanese perhaps.”
The comment, delivered to an audience of global political and business leaders on January 21, 2026 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland was part of a broader speech defending U.S. strategic interests and his controversial push to acquire Greenland.
Trump framed his remarks around the role of the United States in the Allied victory, declaring that the U.S. “won [the war] big” and arguing that Europe’s post-war freedom depended on Washington’s intervention.
According to him, Denmark fell quickly to Germany in World War II and that led to the U.S. “set up bases” on Greenland during the conflict.
He made the comment in the context of urging Denmark to negotiate over Greenland, citing the island’s strategic importance and arguing that only the United States could effectively defend it.
The World Economic Forum, an annual gathering of politicians, business leaders, and civil society representatives, often provides a stage for headline-grabbing statements.
