Denmark has decisively spurned U.S. President Donald Trump’s gesture of a hospital ship for Greenland, affirming the territory’s self-reliant healthcare amid the former president’s acquisition dreams. The episode blends charity claims with geopolitical maneuvering.
Trump teased the delivery on Truth Social Saturday, describing a stellar vessel to treat Greenland’s ill and underserved. ‘On its way!!!’ promised immediacy.
Sunday brought Denmark’s clapback. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen insisted Greenland’s system suffices, with local hospitals handling most cases and Denmark stepping in for the rest.
Poulsen, speaking to DR, stressed no gaps demand foreign vessels. The island’s five regional centers, topped by Nuuk’s main hospital, deliver gratis care universally, just like in Denmark.
Frederiksen echoed this on Facebook, proud of equal-access healthcare unbound by insurance or income. ‘Same for Greenland,’ she noted playfully.
A recent Copenhagen-Greenland deal further secures specialized treatments. Unaware of Trump’s plan, Poulsen quipped it’s par for the course in Trump’s tweetstorm diplomacy.
Hours prior, Danish Arctic Command evacuated a U.S. submariner from Nuuk waters in a medical crisis—ironic proof of existing support networks.
Observers see this as Trump testing waters in the Arctic, eyeing bases and minerals. Denmark’s rebuff protects its domain, maintaining Greenland’s path under Danish aegis while navigating U.S. ambitions.