‘No thank you’: Trump says he’s sending hospital boat to Greenland as leaders push back

WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he is sending a hospital boat to Greenland, the Danish territory he wants to take control of, even as the prime minister says “no thank you.”

“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!!!” the president wrote on Truth Social.

Greenland and Denmark have free, universal healthcare, so what Trump was referring to is unclear.

Landry, who was appointed to serve as special envoy to Greenland, responded to Trump on X and said he is “proud to work” together with Trump on “this important issue.”

In a follow-up post, Landry mentioned speaking with Greenlanders about the day-to-day problems they face, and healthcare stood out.

“A healthy Greenland is vital for America’s national security,” he wrote. “America is committed to defending Greenland, and that begins by ensuring its people are defended against basic illnesses and ailments.”

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen asked Trump to “please talk to us instead of just making more or less random statements on social media.”

President Trump’s idea of sending an American hospital ship here to Greenland has been noted. But we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens,” Nielsen said. “That is a deliberate choice — and a fundamental part of our society. That is not how it works in the USA, where it costs money to see a doctor.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also defended the country’s health care, writing that she was “happy to live in a country where there is free and equal access to health for all. Where it’s not insurances and wealth that determine whether you get proper treatment.”

Trump’s comments come after he insisted in January that he wouldn’t use force to take the Arctic island but called Denmark “ungrateful” and claimed the nation owed the U.S. for defending it during World War II.

The president announced a “framework for a future deal,” stating that the deal would be beneficial to the U.S. and the nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.