Trump Promises “Great Hospital Boat” to Greenland to Help the Allegedly Sick — Danish Officials Politely Decline

President Donald J. Trump announced on social media this weekend that the United States will send a “great hospital boat” to Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic, saying it would provide medical care to people there who are “sick, and not being taken care of.” Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform, adding, “It’s on the way!!!” but did not provide details on which vessel would be deployed, when it would arrive or who authorized the mission.

In the post, Trump said he was working with Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana whom he appointed last December as the U.S. special envoy to Greenland.

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.”

The president accompanied the message with an image that appeared to depict the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy, one of two such vessels operated by the U.S. military, though it remains unclear whether that is the actual ship intended for the mission.

At the time of the announcement, neither the White House, the Department of Defense, nor Louisiana’s governor’s office had responded to requests for clarification about coordination with Danish or Greenlandic authorities or the hospital ship’s mission parameters.

Greenland and Denmark both have government-funded, universal health care systems that provide free access at the point of service. In international remarks following Trump’s post, Denmark’s defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, said the island’s healthcare system meets local needs and that no outside medical assistance had been requested or scheduled.

“The Greenlandic population receives the healthcare it needs,” he told Danish broadcaster DR, noting that specialized treatment is available in Denmark when required. “So it’s not as if there’s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland.”

Lund Poulsen added that he was not aware of any hospital ship’s arrival and described repeated social media commentary from Trump about Greenland as “an expression of the new normal that has taken hold in international politics.”

Denmark and Greenland say no ship was requested. Trump has long argued the U.S. needs Greenland for national security, a claim both governments reject.

The move also coincided with an unrelated medical evacuation in Greenlandic waters: Danish Joint Arctic Command reported that a crew member from a U.S. submarine requiring urgent medical treatment was airlifted to a hospital in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. Officials have not linked the evacuation to the hospital ship announcement.

Reactions within Greenland have varied. Some activists on social media rejected the idea of external medical aid — one wrote, “No thanks!!!” while noting that the population maintains traditional diets and local self-sufficiency.

Danish leaders, including Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, underscored in statements that Greenland’s healthcare is integrated with Denmark’s and already free, emphasizing national pride in that system.

As of midday Sunday, there remained no official confirmation on which ship, if any, was being sent, who requested it, or the logistics of the mission.

Featured image via The Daily Glitch library