US President Donald Trump has again thrust Greenland into focus, saying he will send a US hospital ship to treat people he claimed were “not being taken care of” in the Danish territory he has often wished to acquire.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Working with the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there. It’s on the way!!!” sharing an illustration of the US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy.
The United States operates two hospital ships — USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort — primarily to support military operations and humanitarian missions.
Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, provides free public healthcare much like Denmark. Its 56,000 residents live far apart across a vast Arctic landscape, often travelling by boat, helicopter or plane for treatment. The main hospital in Nuuk handles complex cases, while Denmark treats patients needing specialised care.
GREENLAND SAYS ‘NO THANKS’
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen dismissed Donald Trump’s proposal to send a naval hospital ship.
Speaking after Trump repeated his plan on social media, Nielsen said Greenland remained open to cooperation with the United States but rejected the premise behind the offer.
“But talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media,” he said.
Danish leaders also quickly rejected the premise that Greenland requires outside medical assistance, stressing that residents already receive treatment either locally or in Denmark.
“The Greenlandic population receives the healthcare it needs. They receive it either in Greenland, or, if they require specialised treatment, they receive it in Denmark. So it’s not as if there’s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland,” Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told broadcaster DR.
CRITICS POUNCE ON TRUMP ONLINE
Trump’s claim that Greenlanders were “not being taken care of” triggered a wave of criticism on social media, where users contrasted the island’s universal healthcare with gaps in the US itself.
One user wrote: “Captain Trump is sending a hospital ship to Greenland whose citizens have first-class free healthcare. Meanwhile at home, since Trump cancelled Obamacare, most Americans are drowning locked inside third-class healthcare.”
Another post said: “They don’t need a hospital ship, they have free Universal healthcare and if it cannot be provided on the islands they are flown free of charge to Denmark on a special plane with Doctors and medical equipment. He should try providing healthcare for his own country first and foremost. America First and all that. Fool.”
Some users circulated a doctored image captioned “Denmark is returning the favor and sending two hospital ships to America,” showing vessels labelled “Mental hospital.”
Others framed the announcement as political theatre. “Typical Trump political theater, not a genuine humanitarian mission,” one wrote, while another joked: “A hospital boat? I guess when you’re used to golf courses, every problem looks like a water hazard. Truly a groundbreaking approach to foreign aid. Next up: a fleet of ice cream trucks to solve the energy crisis.”
As of now, Washington has not officially confirmed any operational plan to deploy a US hospital ship to Greenland.
TRUMP’S GREENLAND PUSH
The US President’s claim was also fact-checked on X: “No hospital ship is en route. The US Navy’s only two—USNS Mercy (in maintenance since Aug 2025) and Comfort (since Jan 2026)—remain at Alabama Shipyard in Mobile.”
Trump’s latest announcement comes amid his long-running campaign to expand US influence over Greenland, a strategically located island rich in minerals and positioned along key Arctic shipping and defence routes. Over the past year he has repeatedly argued that US control of Greenland is essential for national security.
His administration later struck a framework understanding with NATO leadership to increase US presence and cooperation in the Arctic, after earlier rhetoric about taking control of the island drew diplomatic backlash.
With inputs from agencies
