People point out irony in Trump's 'offensive' remark during Davos Speech

It appears that Donald Trump ought to download Duolingo, if his latest off-hand comment on stage in Davos is anything to go by.

The US President has been accused of making an 'offensive' remark about the language spoken in Switzerland, while delivering a speech at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday (21 January).

For more than an hour, he addressed the world leaders who have gathered in the Swiss Alps to further discuss his plans to acquire Greenland, and why he believes Europe is 'not heading in the right direction'.

The commander-in-chief called for 'immediate negotiations' to take place so that the US can take control of Denmark's autonomous territory, but thankfully, he did promise he will not 'use force' to get his hands on it.

He claimed that his unpopular plan for Greenland would not pose 'a threat to NATO' and instead suggested it would 'greatly enhance the security of the alliance'.

Throughout his lengthy speech, Trump also made various references to assistance that the US has offered to European nations throughout history.

In particular, he reckons that both Denmark and Greenland owe his country something of a favour, because the US came to their aid during the Second World War.

And while making this point during his speech at the World Economic Forum, Trump managed to put his foot right in it.

"Without us, right now you'd all be speaking German and Japanese, perhaps," he told the crowd of government officials and diplomats who attended the event in Switzerland.

"After the war, we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that, but we did it, but we gave it back. But how ungrateful are they now?"

This snippet of his speech was then shared on social media and internet users were left stunned by 'how offensive' Trump's remark was.

Calling out his apparent lack of knowledge about Europe's history and what languages are spoken in Switzerland, one person wrote on X: "They do speak German in Davos. Not that he'd know that."

Another said: "When he is standing in a German speaking country..."

Trump in Davos, Switzerland:

"Without us, right now you'd all be speaking German".

German is the main language of Switzerland. pic.twitter.com/gp7nAQXwi4

— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) January 21, 2026

A third added: "He hasn't got a clue of geography, history, or finances."

Others accused the President of attempting to 'rewrite history' in favour of the US, while a fourth chimed in saying: "The ignorance is outstanding!"

For some context, there are actually four official languages spoken in Switzerland, and more than half of the population actually speak German.

People also converse in French, Italian and Romansh, but the German tongue is the most popular.

And despite the fact that the US did lend Allied Powers a hand in taking down Adolf Hitler, it was more of a collaborative effort than Trump is making out.

Trump went on to warn that the US won't forget how Europe responds to his attempts to take over Greenland.

"We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won't give it," he said in Davos. "We've never asked for anything else, and we could have kept that piece of land, and we didn't," Trump said.

Trump said that the continent has 'a choice' - and he urged NATO nations to choose wisely.

"You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative," he said.

"Or you can say no, and we will remember a strong and secure America means a strong NATO, and that's one reason why I'm working every day to ensure our military is very powerful."