Trump used the WEF in Davos to double-down on his attacks against renewable energy. But was anything he said accurate?
Donald Trump has dragged China into his blistering attacks against wind energy, describing nations that buy wind turbines as “stupid”.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos yesterday (21 January), the POTUS made several dubious claims about Greenland, NATO and renewable energy.
Trump has consistently criticised the green energy drive, dubbing wind and solar as “the scam of the century” while keeping the US as the world’s biggest fossil fuel producer. Last year, the US administration suspended leases on all US offshore wind projects, citing national security concerns, and is currently embroiled in a legal challenge with Danish energy firm Ørsted.
What Trump said about wind energy at Davos
Addressing the WEF on the event’s third day, Trump claimed that China makes "almost all” of the world’s wind turbines, which he continues to refer to as “windmills”.
“Yet I haven’t been able to find any windfarms in China,” he said during a speech that lasted over an hour. “Did you ever think of that? It’s a good way of looking. China is very smart. They make [wind turbines].”
Trump went on to argue that China sells wind turbines to other countries for a “fortune”. “They sell them to the stupid people that buy them, but don’t use them themselves,” he adds.
China responds to Trump’s wind claims
Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, was quick to rebuke the claims. Speaking at a press conference today (22 January), he said: “China’s efforts to tackle climate change and promote the development and application of renewable energy in the world are obvious to all.”
“As a responsible developing country, China is willing to work with all parties to continue to promote the global green and low-carbon transformation.”
Is China ignoring green energy?
According to energy think tank Ember, China’s wind generation in 2024 equalled 40 per cent of global wind generation, despite an increase in fossil fuel generation.
But in 2025, China hit a new milestone in its energy transition, with wind and solar power together generating more than a quarter (26 per cent) of the country’s electricity in April. This surpassed the previous record of 23.7 per cent set a month earlier in March 2025.
At the same time, fossil fuel generation declined by 3.6 per cent year-on-year across the first four months of 2025. Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) found that China is now in a relative decoupling stage – when emissions rise more slowly than GDP.
Between 2015 and 2023, its consumption-based emissions rose by 24 per cent, while its GDP grew by over 50 per cent during the same time.
“There are growing indications that emissions from the power generation and transport sectors have already peaked,” the report states.
China’s decoupling comes as the country leads the race in renewable development, with 180 GW of solar and 159 GW of wind power projects already under construction. This is almost twice as much as the rest of the world combined, and is enough to power all of South Korea, according to data from Global Energy Monitor.
The world’s largest wind farm
Despite Trump’s inability to spot any wind turbines in China, the country is home to the world’s largest wind farm, which is visible from space.
Located in the vast desert region of western Gansu, construction of the Gansu Wind Farm began in 2009, with the first phase being completed just a year later. It already features more than 7,000 turbines.
Once it’s completed, it is scheduled to have an installed capacity of 20GW, enough to power around 15 million homes.
