By Daniel Dale, CNN
(CNN) – During a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before a NATO summit in Ankara, President Donald Trump made several incorrect claims regarding Greenland, the U. S., and his own achievements as he spoke to the media.
One of the most notable falsehoods was about Greenland, which Trump again suggested should be under U. S. control. He mistakenly asserted, as he has in the past, that the island is “surrounded by China’s ships and Russian ships.” This is simply not true, as independent experts and various foreign governments have pointed out.
Trump also brought up his long-debunked statements claiming he has “settled eight wars,” that former President Joe Biden provided Ukraine “hundreds of billions of dollars worth of equipment,” that there has been “$19.2 trillion” or more invested in the U. S. since he took office last year, and that the 2020 election was “rigged.”
Here’s a fact check.
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Greenland, Russia and China
Trump claimed that Greenland is “surrounded by China’s ships and Russian ships.” However, there is no evidence supporting this assertion – it has been refuted by independent experts, officials from Denmark and other Nordic countries, Greenlandic representatives, and both current and former U. S. officials. A commander of Denmark’s military Arctic forces mentioned in an interview last month that they typically do not observe Chinese or Russian vessels around Greenland, as reported by Danish media outlet TV 2. P. Whitney Lackenbauer, an expert on Arctic security issues from Trent University in Canada, previously told CNN in January that Trump’s claim was “completely invented,” reiterating via email on Tuesday that it remains incorrect. It’s conceivable Trump might have seen classified intel indicating some maritime activity near Greenland involving Chinese or Russian vessels at some recent time. But even then, it wouldn’t justify saying Greenland was “surrounded.”Trump and wars
Reiterating one of his usual false claims about international relations, Trump stated, “You know, I settled eight wars.” This isn’t accurate; his list of “eight wars” is quite flawed. This list includes two instances that were never actual wars during his administration: a diplomatic disagreement between Egypt and Ethiopia and an alleged situation involving Serbia and Kosovo. It also lists a conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo that hasn’t truly ended despite a peace agreement facilitated by Trump’s administration. The list further includes the war between Israel and Hamas; however Israel continues to carry out almost daily attacks in Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by the U. S. Additionally, it mentions a brief conflict between Israel and Iran in 2025 when Israel went on to collaborate with the U. S., starting another war against Iran in 2026.Biden and aid to Ukraine
On the topic of Ukraine, Trump repeated his earlier claim that “when Biden was here, he gave them hundreds of billions of dollars worth of equipment.” This claim greatly exaggerates reality. The Kiel Institute for the World Economy-a German think tank closely monitoring international aid to Ukraine-states that from late January 2022 until April 2026 (just before Russia’s full-scale invasion), the U. S had allocated around $74 billion in military aid to Ukraine (at current exchange rates). When including financial assistance along with humanitarian aid altogether amounts to roughly $132 billion.Investment in the US
Trump reiterated his common inaccurate statement saying “we have $19 trillion , $19.2 trillion to be exact , being invested in the United States.” He added this total supposedly came from just the first year of this presidential term , mentioning “so that number is now substantially higher” after nearly 18 months back in office. But even claiming $19.2 trillion is fiction. The White House website indicated at the time when Trump made this claim there had been “10.6 trillion” dollars’ worth of “major investment announcements” during this term-which itself was already a significant overstatement compared to real investments. A detailed review from CNN last October revealed that those figures included trillions attributed merely to vague pledges concerning investment without clear commitments made for actual investments into America; statements were often about bilateral trade or economic exchanges instead. The figure offered included promises made by companies based within America alongside foreign firms too. Federal data released last month shows new foreign direct investments totaled around $232 billion within the United States throughout 2025.The 2020 election
This time again , Trump characterized the 2020 election as being “a rigged election.” That’s simply untrue. Trump lost legitimately against Biden fair and square. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network , Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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