Greenland rejects Trump’s hospital ship proposal, citing existing free healthcare system
Greenland’s prime minister publicly rebuked President Donald Trump on Sunday, rejecting his proposal to send a U.S. hospital ship to the Arctic territory and urging him to stop making “random” social media posts about its future.
Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen issued the response in a pointed Facebook post following Trump’s announcement.
“We say no thank you from here,” Nielsen wrote. “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.”
The prime minister also contrasted Greenland’s system with that of the U.S., writing that, in America, “it costs money to go to the doctor.”
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Nielsen said Greenland is “always” open to dialogue with the U.S. but urged Trump to engage directly.
“Talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media,” he wrote. “Dialogue and cooperation require respect for decisions about our country being made here at home.”
On Saturday, Trump announced on Truth Social that his administration was working with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to send a hospital ship to Greenland to care for people who are sick and “not being taken care of there.”
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Landry was designated special envoy to Greenland in December and has held formal discussions outlining Trump’s plans to strengthen Arctic security amid threats from Russia and China.
In late January, Landry spoke with NATO leaders and expressed support for a “framework of a future deal” to expand U.S. influence in the region.
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Trump’s offer came after Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuated a crew member from a U.S. submarine seven nautical miles outside Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.
The crew member was transferred by a Danish Defense Seahawk helicopter to a hospital in Nuuk and handed over to Greenlandic health authorities, the Joint Arctic Command said.
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The U.S. Navy operates two hospital ships – the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort – both of which were last docked in Alabama for repairs, according to Reuters.
Trump sending US military hospital ship to Greenland to ‘take care’ of sick
President Donald Trump‘s designs to take over Greenland have been quiet for a few weeks, but a Joint Arctic Command medical evacuation by Denmark on Saturday now has the U.S. sending a “great hospital boat” to take care of the “sick.”
“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,” Trump wrote Saturday night on Truth Social. “It’s on the way!!!”
Gov. Landry was designated the special envoy to Greenland in December and held formal discussions of the road map of Trump’s designs to solidify Arctic security from threats from Russia or China.
Then in late January, Landry spoke with NATO leadership and expressed support for a “framework of a future deal” to expand U.S. influence in the region.
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Landry, who was in Washington, D.C., for the national governors meeting late last week, thanked Trump for his support for Greenland.
“Proud to work with you on this important issue!” Landry replied on X to Trump’s Truth Social post.
The news comes as Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuated a crew member who required urgent medical treatment from a U.S. submarine in Greenlandic waters, seven nautical miles outside of Greenland’s capital of Nuuk.
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The crew member has been transferred to the Greenlandic health authorities via a Danish Defense Seahawk helicopter to a hospital in Nuuk, according to the Joint Arctic Command.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen did not directly reject Trump’s overture, but he did tell Danish broadcaster DR on Sunday that Greenland is all set.
“The Greenlandic population receives the healthcare it needs,” Poulsen said. “They receive it either in Greenland, or, if they require specialized treatment, they receive it in Denmark.
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“So it’s not as if there’s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland.”
Danish King Frederik paid a second visit to Greenland in a year last week, an attempt to demonstrate unity with the territory in the face of Trump’s push to buy the island.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen did not directly address the Trump post on his own Facebook account hours later, but she did extoll socialist ideology on healthcare “for all.”
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“Am happy to live in a country where there is free and equal access to health for all,” Frederiksen wrote in a translated post, sharing a Democrat attack point on Trump’s Republican Party’s struggles to reform what Trump has rebuked as a “failure” of Obamacare. “Where it’s not insurances and wealth that determine whether you get proper treatment. You have the same approach in Greenland.”
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The U.S. Navy has two hospital ships, the Mercy and the Comfort. Both were last docked in Alabama for repairs, according to Reuters.
Greenland offers tourists ice fjords and hot springs, plus flights from US airports
With President Donald Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland for national defense and security reasons, the country also offers an arctic escape for tourists young and old.
While about 80% of the land is covered in ice, Greenland is a hot spot for ice fjords, hot springs, outdoor activities, wildlife and museums. It’s a “land of stark beauty and contrasts… [and] can feel like a world apart,” according to Frommers.
The capital of Greenland, Nuuk, is the biggest city in the country, with less than 20,000 people. It boasts restaurants, fashion boutiques, unique architecture and several museums, according to Visit Greenland.
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Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, as well as airports in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Houston, Seattle and San Francisco, all offer flights to Nuuk.
United Airlines launched the first-ever direct, seasonal flights from Newark to Nuuk last summer.
Nuuk features the Greenland National Museum and Archives, the Nuuk Art Museum and the Katuaq Cultural Center.
Outside Nuuk in West Greenland is Ilulissat, home of the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The area is home to Sermeq Kujalleq, which is one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world, according to UNESCO.
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Visitors can see massive icebergs while taking boat trips and going on nearby hikes.
Disko Bay, with its iceberg-filled waters, is popular for whale watching in summer.
South Greenland has greener landscapes and is home to Kujataa.
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A UNESCO cultural landscape, Kujataa is known for Norse and Inuit farming, hunting and fishing.
The Norse were Scandinavian Viking-era settlers who, led by Erik the Red from Iceland, established medieval farming colonies in southwestern Greenland around 985–986 CE, according to the Mariners’ Museum and Park and other sources.
“Sheep farming, in particular, is central to the region’s cultural landscape,” writes UNESCO.
“Mild summers and long daylight hours foster high-quality grazing, producing wool and meat essential for local livelihoods.”
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Southern Greenland is also popular for its 38-degree hot springs with crystal-clear waters — discovered over 1,000 years ago, according to Visit Greenland.
One of the most popular springs is the Uunartoq Hot Springs, which is surrounded by mountain peaks and drifting icebergs.
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In 2023, tourism to Greenland — including both arrivals by air and cruise passengers — reached an estimated 116,000 visitors, according to several sources.
Greenland’s total visitors in 2024–2025 were projected to be in the 120,000–140,000 range annually.
Fox News Digital reached out to Visit Greenland and the Greenland Representation in Washington, D.C., for comment.