President Donald Trump announced cooperation with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry to send a hospital ship headed to Greenland, citing many patients lacking care amid tensions with Denmark and NATO allies after Trump's push to acquire Greenland.
On Saturday (21 Feb), President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social with a graphic of a U.S. hospital ship sailing at sunset to announce plans to send medical aid to Greenland, the Danish self-governing territory he previously expressed interest in buying.
Trump stated in the post, "We are working with the excellent Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry to send a large hospital ship to Greenland to care for many sick people who are not receiving care there. The ship is already en route!!!"
However, it remains unclear whether Greenland authorities requested such assistance or why Trump assumed Greenlanders were not receiving adequate medical care.
Trump has persistently raised the issue of acquiring Greenland from Denmark, citing "national security" reasons due to Greenland's geographic proximity to Russia and China. Both Greenland and Denmark have strongly opposed the proposal.
In January, Denmark deployed forces alongside NATO allies such as France, Germany, and the UK to the region in response to the U.S. stance. Trump claimed to have reached a "conceptual agreement" with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Arctic and Greenland security, describing it as complex but beneficial. Though Trump reaffirmed his desire to acquire the territory, he stated there are "no plans for military action," contrary to earlier implications.
Just hours before Trump's announcement, Denmark's Joint Arctic Command reported dispatching rescue teams to evacuate a crew member from a U.S. submarine located only 7 nautical miles from Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, due to urgent medical needs.
Additionally, last week, Denmark’s King Frederik X made his second visit to Greenland within a year to demonstrate unity amid pressure from the United States.
Currently, neither the White House nor the U.S. Department of Defense has provided further details about the hospital ship or specified which patient groups require assistance.