'Blathering in Davos': Trump mocked for 'lies and moronic claims' in big economic speech

Donald Trump sparked outrage and mockery after delivering the first major economic speech of his second presidency.

The newly inaugurated president spoke Thursday morning at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he demanded defense spending from NATO allies, threatened steep tariffs, decried wars in the Middle East, and championed the rise of artificial intelligence.

“From the standpoint of America, the EU treats us very, very unfairly, very badly,” Trump said. "Yet they expect to be selling and they do sell their products in the U.S.A., so we have … hundreds of billions of dollars of deficits with the EU, and nobody’s happy with it, and we’re going to do something about it.”

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His speech prompted a range of reactions on social media.

"Says the whole world 'saw the light' when he won. Says 'millions of Russians and Ukrainians died,' he will end it by raising the price for oil. Says 'he negotiated the ceasefire,' 'he got the Olympics,' 'he got the soccer World Cup,' 'in 4 days he got more done than other admin in 4 years,'" said journalist Olga Nesterova. "NONE of these statements are true."

"I smell sulfuric fumes coming from Davos to Downtown Switzerland right now! (Trump is speaking.)," said Patrick Neithard, editor at A Sharper Blur. "Close all doors and windows!"

"He STILL doesn't understand who pays tariffs," added screenwriter Randi Mayem Singer.

"Trump, speaking at DAVOS, said the United States doesn't need Canadian oil," said Joe Gerth, columnist for the Courier Journal. "I'm old enough to remember when Republicans freaked out about the Biden Administration shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline, which was intended to bring us oil from --- wait for it -- Canada."

"Welcome to Blathering in Davos," said Navy veteran Sergey Scollan. "Mostly an old campaign speech and lies and moronic claims and statements."

"Trump is telling the Billionaires forum in Davos, Switzerland, that Biden let the American trade deficit with China get out of control," said journalist David Cay Johnson, showing a chart showing the U.S. trade deficit with China between 2013 and 2023. "Notice below when the biggest deficit in goods trade took place and under which president it came down."

"He's answering questions from attendees at World Economic Forum in Davos," said HuffPo White House correspondent S.V. Daté. "I don't know that a single assertion he has made thus far -- from the state of economy in 2019 to how tariffs work and on and on and on -- is factually accurate."