Trump has called the fossil fuel climate emergency a “hoax,” but global warming opens up potential shipping routes and access to natural resources in and around Greenland. He has claimed that if he does not seize the island, China or Russia will – although last month he announced a “framework for a future deal” for security, temporarily alleviating fears of a US invasion.
In his Truth Social post late Saturday, Trump shared an illustration of a Navy hospital ship, the USNS mercy.
“As of late January, the 1,000-bed hospital ship was in drydock at the Alabama Shipyard in Mobile, where it had been undergoing scheduled maintenance since July 2025.” according to Marine industry news website JCaptain. “USNS mercycommissioned in 1986, departed San Diego last July for a one-year scheduled maintenance period at the Alabama Shipyard under an $18.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for 153 calendar days midterm, including drydock.
Responding to the US leader on social media on Sunday, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens Fredrik Nielsen said: “There will be no thanks from here. President Trump’s idea of sending a US hospital ship here to Greenland has been mentioned. But we have a public health service where treatment is free for citizens. It’s a conscious choice. “And an essential part of our community.”
“I“This is not the case in the United States, where going to the doctor costs money,” he added. He added: “We are always open to dialogue and cooperation. Also with the USA. But talk to us now instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media. Dialogue and cooperation require respect for the decisions about our country that are made here at home.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded somewhat indirectly to Trump through a social media post, Saying She is “happy to live in a country where everyone has free and equal access to healthcare. Where insurances and wealth do not determine whether you get the right treatment or not. You have the same approach in Greenland. Happy Sunday to all of you.”
As well as Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen He said Danish broadcaster doctor: “Greenlanders receive the health care they need. They receive it either in Greenland, or, if they need specialized treatment, they receive it in Denmark.”
“It’s not as if there’s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland,” he added.
Website of the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers Countries That in “a number of services are offered, which are free at the point of use for everyone with permanent residence in Greenland. If a doctor has prescribed treatment, and the service is not available nearby, you have the right to be covered for transportation to the nearest hospital.”
The website also notes that the island’s health service is “challenged by staff shortages, especially in sparsely populated areas.”
Aja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic politician in the Danish parliament, said on social media: “Another day. Another crazy news story. Donald Trump wants to send a poorly maintained hospital ship to Greenland. It seems rather desperate and does not contribute to the permanent and sustainable strengthening of the healthcare system that we need.”
She continued: “Since the last election, where I have been campaigning for closer cooperation in healthcare… we have succeeded in allocating DKK 35 million annually, and this year an additional DKK 185 million, for the treatment of Greenlanders in Denmark.” These figures in US dollars amount to approximately $5.5 million and $29 million, respectively.
Chemnitz added:
I think there is one thing we are missing in our understanding of health and wellbeing in Greenland. We should have equal access to doctors, cancer treatment pathways, and healthcare assistance such as those available in Denmark. Our healthcare system faces significant challenges, more so than what we are seeing in Denmark.
This problem would be best solved with Denmark, as it is one of the richest and most educated countries, for example in the healthcare sector. Not the United States, which has its own health care problems.
This requires closer and more committed efforts from Denmark in the field of health care in Greenland.
More doctors from Danish regions are taking their turn in Greenland. Faster access to treatment in Denmark. Clear priority is given to children and young people, cancer and heart disease, and a significant improvement in psychiatry.
Is Denmark ready for this?
The United States has often ranked last among peer nations on measures such as access to care and health outcomes, fueling Americans’ demands to move from the current for-profit health care system to one that is publicly funded and comprehensive.
The massive cuts to the social safety net in the so-called Big Beautiful Bill that Trump signed last July, and the failure of federal Republicans to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies that helped tens of millions of people afford health insurance premiums before they expire at the end of December, have fueled calls for Medicare for All.
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