Greenland's PM rejected Trump's offer to send a hospital boat
Trump claimed Greenlanders were sick and not receiving proper care
Nielsen reminded Trump that Greenland provides free healthcare
The exchange follows Trump's continued interest in Greenland despite previous concessions
📖 Full Retelling
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen publicly rejected US President Donald Trump's offer to send a US hospital boat to the island, reminding Trump that Greenland provides free healthcare for all citizens after Trump claimed on social media that many Greenlanders were sick and "not being taken care of." The exchange began when Trump posted on Truth Social announcing that he and his Greenland envoy Jeff Landry were "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 post included what appeared to be an illustrated or AI image of the USNS Mercy, one of two hospital ships operated by the US navy, though it was unclear when the ship would arrive or what prompted the decision. Nielsen responded by saying "it's going to be a no thanks from us," and emphasized that Greenland has a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens. "It's not like that in the United States, where it costs money to go to the doctor," he wrote on Facebook, while also noting that Greenland remained open to cooperating with the US but underlined the importance of direct communication rather than "random outbursts on social media." The latest exchange follows Trump's long-standing interest in acquiring the vast arctic territory, though he conceded in January that he would not take it by force after previously refusing to rule out doing so. Soon after, he announced a "framework for a future deal" between the US and Greenland, following Denmark and NATO allies making it clear they would not relinquish sovereignty. Trump's post came soon after Denmark's Joint Arctic Command had evacuated a crew member requiring urgent medical treatment from a US submarine close to Nuuk, though it remains unclear if these events are related.
Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark, also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland in the north Atlantic Ocean. Metro...
The Arctic (; from Ancient Greek ἄρκτος (árktos) 'bear') is the polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying north of the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway (Nordland, Troms, Finnmark, Svalbard and J...
Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and is the largest of the kingdom's three constituent parts by land area, the others being Denmark proper and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenland are citizens of Denmark. They are thus citizens of the European Union (EU), although G...
President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025)
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.
Born into a wealthy New York City family, Trump graduated from the...
Greenland says 'no thanks' to Trump US hospital boat 46 minutes ago Share Save Rachel Muller-Heyndyk Share Save Greenland's prime minister has asked US President Donald Trump to talk to him instead of making "random outbursts on social media", after Trump said he was sending a US hospital boat to "take care" of people on the island. Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was going to send a boat filled with medical supplies, alleging "many people" on the island are sick and "not being taken care of". Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded "it's going to be a no thanks from us," and said that Greenland provides free healthcare for all citizens. Trump has long coveted the vast arctic island - but conceded in January that he would not take it by force, after previously refusing to rule out doing so. Soon after, he announced a "framework for a future deal" around the US and Greenland, after Denmark and Nato allies made it clear that they would not give in to his calls to relinquish sovereignty. In his post on social media, Trump said that he and his Greenland envoy Jeff Landry were "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 post included what appeared to be an illustrated or AI image of the USNS Mercy, one of two hospital ships operated by the US navy. It is not clear when the ship would arrive or what prompted the decision. Responding to the post, Nielsen said that Trump's idea "had been noted [...] but we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens." "It's not like that in the United States, where it costs money to go to the doctor," he wrote on Facebook. Nielsen added that Greenland remained open to cooperating with the US but underlined the importance of discussing issues directly. "Talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media," he said. Trump's post came soon after Denmark's Joint Arctic Command said it ha...
