I'm afraid that when you have to compare the "#1 world super power" to Africa, China and India to make a point you already lost the argument

It’s a quote from the U.S. president at Davos.

Donald Trump has made the claim on several occasions.

Remote locations are where companies frack and spill oil and coal waste with impunity. People are also more likely to drink well water there (apparently 15% of Americans rely on it).

Coming from a rural place where water smelled like rotten eggs on a good day, I doubt the veracity of the claim.

With that 'logic', Russia is way cleaner - bigger, much more remote, much less population. Anyway we talk about country as a whole, and TBH I think there are cleaner countries but would love to see some proper stats.

Honestly, no. Many of the remote areas with water are contaminated from a century and a half of resource extraction -- often moreso than the cities because enforcement is lax when people don't live nearby. Most of the industrial revolution happened after the US had expanded to the Pacific.