U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would send a hospital ship to Greenland, a Danish territory he is trying to acquire despite the Arctic island nation saying it does not want it.
“Working with the wonderful Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we will send a great hospital ship to Greenland to care for the many patients who are not being cared for there. It’s on the way!!!” the president posted on social media along with an illustration of the Navy hospital ship Mercy.
It was unclear what Trump was referring to in his post. Greenland and Denmark have free, state-run healthcare systems.
CNN has reached out to the White House and Landry’s office for more details. The Pentagon referred questions to U.S. Northern Command, which in turn referred questions to the U.S. Navy. The Navy did not respond to a request for comment.
Landry, who was appointed by Trump as special envoy to Greenland in December, said on social media that he was proud to work with Trump on “this important issue.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said “no thank you” in a statement responding to Trump’s statement.
“President Trump’s idea of sending a U.S. hospital ship to Greenland has raised eyebrows. But we have a public health care system where citizens can receive treatment for free,” Nelson said. “It’s a carefully considered choice and a fundamental part of our society. That’s not the case in the United States, where medical care costs money.”
He added that Greenland “is open to dialogue and cooperation. But please talk to us and not just make more or less random remarks on social media. Dialogue and cooperation need to respect the fact that decisions about our country are made domestically.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen defended the country’s health care system on Sunday, writing on Facebook that she was “happy to live in a country where everyone has free and equal access to health care. Where it is not insurance and wealth that determine whether you receive appropriate treatment,” the Associated Press reported.
Trump’s comments came after Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command said in a statement on Saturday that it had evacuated a crew member who needed emergency treatment from a U.S. submarine in Greenlandic waters. The crew member was transferred to Greenlandic health authorities and a hospital in Nuuk.
The U.S. Navy operates two mobile hospital ships, the Mercy and the Comfort, which support troops during deployments and serve U.S. disaster relief and humanitarian operations. During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the Navy deployed the USNS Comfort to New York City, the epicenter of the virus outbreak in the United States.
The Mercy is anchored in Mobile, Alabama, according to ship tracking website Marinetraffic.com. It’s unclear where the Comfort is located, but the website said it was also in Mobile earlier this month.
Both ships appear ready for immediate deployment.
Greenland is strategically located and is the least densely populated country in the world. Due to its limited road network, Greenland’s 56,000 residents can only travel between the island’s towns by boat, helicopter and plane. The United States has a military base in Greenland, the Pitufik Space Base on the west coast of the island.
Trump’s comments come a month after his efforts to acquire Greenland shocked European allies as he claimed the United States would only take full control of the country.
In late January, Trump announced a “future agreement framework” for Greenland with the NATO secretary-general, but his continued interest in the Arctic islands has raised questions about Greenland’s sovereignty.
The idea of American leadership unnerved Greenlanders, including municipal engineer Ludwig Peterson.
He previously told CNN that his main aversion to U.S. control stems from private health care issues.
“I don’t like the idea of being part of America,” he said. “My biggest concern is the privatization of health care and education. That’s not something we’re used to.”
This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.
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