“Working with the fantastic governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we will send a great hospital ship to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick and underserved. It’s on its way!!! President DJT,” Trump wrote on his own Truth Social.
He added an image of the ship, which AFP described as apparently generated by artificial intelligence. It shows what she says is an American vessel named the Mercy sailing toward the snow-capped mountains on the horizon.
The US Navy has two hospital ships: the Comfort and the Mercy, both of which are at the Alabama shipyard, according to the WSJ. Trump released the message after meeting with Landry, whom he appointed last year as the special representative for Greenland.
However, Defense Minister Poulsen rejected any need for American help.
“The Greenlandic population has the health care they need. They either get it in Greenland, and if they need specialized treatment, it is provided in Denmark. So there is no need for a special health initiative in Greenland,” said Poulsen.
Even Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that she is happy to live in a country where access to health care is free and equal for all. Where neither insurance nor wealth determines whether a person receives decent care. “It’s the same approach in Greenland,” she wrote on Facebook, without mentioning Trump’s hospital ship announcement.
As in Denmark, access to healthcare is free in Greenland, writes AFP. Greenland has its own healthcare system, but relies heavily on Danish healthcare professionals. There are five regional hospitals on the vast Arctic island, while the one in the metropolis of Nuuk accepts patients from all over the territory. However, the Greenlandic government also signed an agreement with Copenhagen this month to improve the treatment of Greenlandic patients in Danish hospitals.
Trump’s post came hours after Denmark’s Arctic Command said a Danish military helicopter had evacuated a sick crew member from a US submarine off the coast of Greenland on Saturday.
Trump has recently stepped up the push to get Greenland. Both Nuuk and Copenhagen have repeatedly rejected American demands to hand over the island to the United States. The president justifies the need to acquire Greenland by American security and the growing influence of China and Russia in the Arctic. For some time he also refused to rule out a military operation to take Greenland. In January, after talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he finally said he had reached a framework agreement on Greenland. Recently, NATO launched a mission to strengthen the alliance’s role in the region.
