Denmark and Greenland on Sunday firmly rejected former US President Donald Trump’s offer to send a naval hospital ship to the Arctic island, insisting there was no need for such assistance. The response highlights the territories’ confidence in their healthcare systems.
A day earlier, Trump announced he would send “a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick and not being taken care of there.” However, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen dismissed the proposal, saying the territory already provides free public healthcare to all its citizens.
“That will be ‘no thanks’ from us,” Nielsen wrote on Facebook. “We have a public health system where care is free for citizens. This is not the case in the United States, where going to the doctor costs money.”
Denmark’s Defence Minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, also rejected the idea, saying Greenlanders receive appropriate healthcare locally or, when necessary, in Denmark. He emphasised there was no need for a special healthcare initiative, reinforcing that the US offer was unnecessary.
The comments from Trump coincided with a separate event in Greenland, where Danish forces evacuated a crew member of a US submarine off the coast of Nuuk after an urgent medical request. The sailor was flown to a hospital in Nuuk following the emergency.
Greenland, like Denmark, has a fully accessible healthcare system and operates five regional hospitals, with the main facility in the capital, Nuuk. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen praised the system, saying access to medical care is based on need rather than wealth or insurance coverage.
In a social media post, Trump shared an AI-generated image of a US Navy hospital ship and claimed it was “on the way.” However, it remained unclear whether any vessel was actually being deployed. Trump indicated the plan was coordinated with US Special Envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry.
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Greenland’s representative in the Danish parliament, Aaja Chemnitz, said the island’s healthcare issues are best resolved through cooperation with Denmark rather than foreign intervention. She contrasted Greenland’s healthcare system with the US, which faces its own challenges.
Earlier this month, Greenland signed an agreement with Copenhagen to improve treatment for Greenlandic patients in Danish hospitals, as the island faces financial pressure due to an ageing population and shrinking workforce.
Trump has repeatedly stated that the United States should control Greenland for national security reasons. While earlier threats to seize the territory have eased, his repeated remarks continue to cause political unease.
Danish Defence Minister Lund Poulsen described the ongoing statements as part of a “new normal” in international politics. “Trump is constantly tweeting about Greenland. This is an expression of the new normal that has taken hold in international politics,” he said.
In Nuuk, residents expressed weariness over Washington’s repeated comments, with many declining to respond to inquiries about Trump’s hospital ship proposal.