Alexander Willis
February 22, 2026
RAW STORY
Johannes Hansen poses with his hunting rifle in Kapisillit, Greenland, January 21, 2026. "People here are interested in the day that is coming. Is there food in the fridge? Fine, then I can sleep a little longer. If there is no food, then I will go out and catch fish or go out and shoot a reindeer," said Vanilla Mathiassen, a Danish teacher in Kapisillit who has worked in towns and villages across Greenland for 13 years.
REUTERS/Marko Djurica
President Donald Trump’s bizarre plan to deploy a hospital ship to Greenland drew a chilly response Sunday from Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederick Nielsen, who politely told the president “no thanks” to his unusual proposition.
On Friday, Trump made the strange announcement that he would be sending a “hospital boat” to Greenland on an apparent humanitarian mission, which he said would help “take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there.” There is no documented health crisis in Greenland, and its citizens are all entitled to universal health care.
Nielsen apparently caught wind of Trump’s plan and issued the president a soft rejection in a social media post on Sunday, writing that such help wasn’t needed on the arctic island.
“That will be ‘no thanks’ from us,” Nielsen wrote in a post on Facebook, The Guardian reported. “President Trump’s idea to send a US hospital ship here to Greenland has been duly noted. But we have a public health system where care is free for citizens.”
Trump’s announcement came amid his ongoing campaign to acquire Greenland for the United States, and is theorized by some to be a direct response to an incident that unfolded on Friday just hours before the announcement.
President Donald Trump’s bizarre plan to deploy a hospital ship to Greenland drew a chilly response Sunday from Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederick Nielsen, who politely told the president “no thanks” to his unusual proposition.
On Friday, Trump made the strange announcement that he would be sending a “hospital boat” to Greenland on an apparent humanitarian mission, which he said would help “take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there.” There is no documented health crisis in Greenland, and its citizens are all entitled to universal health care.
Nielsen apparently caught wind of Trump’s plan and issued the president a soft rejection in a social media post on Sunday, writing that such help wasn’t needed on the arctic island.
“That will be ‘no thanks’ from us,” Nielsen wrote in a post on Facebook, The Guardian reported. “President Trump’s idea to send a US hospital ship here to Greenland has been duly noted. But we have a public health system where care is free for citizens.”
Trump’s announcement came amid his ongoing campaign to acquire Greenland for the United States, and is theorized by some to be a direct response to an incident that unfolded on Friday just hours before the announcement.
Earlier on Friday, Danish forces evacuated an American service member aboard a U.S. submarine after they had fallen ill, and took him to a Greenland hospital. As to why Trump would respond to such an incident by deploying a hospital ship to Greenland, critics were mostly left baffled by the apparent connection.
Greenland does not need US hospital ship: Danish minister
By AFP
February 22, 2026
There are five regional hospitals across the vast Arctic island, with the Nuuk hospital serving patients from all over the territory - Copyright AFP/File Jonathan NACKSTRAND
Greenland does not need medical assistance from other countries, Denmark’s defence minister said Sunday, after US President Donald Trump claimed he was sending a hospital ship to the autonomous Danish territory that he covets.
“The Greenlandic population receives the healthcare it needs. They receive it either in Greenland, or, if they require specialised treatment, they receive it in Denmark. So it’s not as if there’s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland,” Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR.
In Greenland as in Denmark access to healthcare is free. There are five regional hospitals across the vast Arctic island, with the Nuuk hospital serving patients from all over the territory.
The Greenlandic local government signed an agreement with Copenhagen in early February to improve the treatment of Greenlandic patients in Danish hospitals.
Trump on Saturday posted on his social media platform Truth Social that “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”.
“It’s on the way!!!” he added.
Trump has said the US must control Greenland to ensure its security, though he has backed off earlier threats to seize it after striking a “framework” deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence.
Lund Poulsen told DR he was not aware of the hospital ship’s possible arrival.
“Trump is constantly tweeting about Greenland. So this is undoubtedly an expression of the new normal that has taken hold in international politics,” he said.
Earlier Saturday, Denmark’s Arctic Command announced that it had evacuated a crew member of a US submarine off the coast of Nuuk after the sailor requested urgent medical attention.
By AFP
February 22, 2026
There are five regional hospitals across the vast Arctic island, with the Nuuk hospital serving patients from all over the territory - Copyright AFP/File Jonathan NACKSTRAND
Greenland does not need medical assistance from other countries, Denmark’s defence minister said Sunday, after US President Donald Trump claimed he was sending a hospital ship to the autonomous Danish territory that he covets.
“The Greenlandic population receives the healthcare it needs. They receive it either in Greenland, or, if they require specialised treatment, they receive it in Denmark. So it’s not as if there’s a need for a special healthcare initiative in Greenland,” Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told Danish broadcaster DR.
In Greenland as in Denmark access to healthcare is free. There are five regional hospitals across the vast Arctic island, with the Nuuk hospital serving patients from all over the territory.
The Greenlandic local government signed an agreement with Copenhagen in early February to improve the treatment of Greenlandic patients in Danish hospitals.
Trump on Saturday posted on his social media platform Truth Social that “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”.
“It’s on the way!!!” he added.
Trump has said the US must control Greenland to ensure its security, though he has backed off earlier threats to seize it after striking a “framework” deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence.
Lund Poulsen told DR he was not aware of the hospital ship’s possible arrival.
“Trump is constantly tweeting about Greenland. So this is undoubtedly an expression of the new normal that has taken hold in international politics,” he said.
Earlier Saturday, Denmark’s Arctic Command announced that it had evacuated a crew member of a US submarine off the coast of Nuuk after the sailor requested urgent medical attention.
Critics say Trump's 'frankly unreal' Greenland post shows he's 'suffering from dementia'
Alexander Willis
February 22, 2026
Alexander Willis
February 22, 2026
RAW STORY
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a Governors Dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 21, 2026. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz
President Donald Trump made the bizarre announcement Saturday that he would be sending a hospital ship to Greenland on an apparent humanitarian mission, and with no explanation for what prompted the expedition – but critics have zeroed in on what they say is “almost certainly” the cause for the president’s confusing statement.
There is no documented health crisis in Greenland, a territory of Denmark, with all of its citizens entitled to universal health care that’s free at the point of service, as it is in most moderately wealthy nations other than the United States. Nevertheless, Trump suggested that he would be deploying the USNS Mercy to the arctic island, and that the hospital ship was already “on the way.”
As noted by critics, the peculiar announcement came within hours of an incident in which an American service member aboard a U.S. submarine off the coast of Greenland was evacuated by Danish forces and taken to a hospital after falling ill.
“I've now seen a number of comments on this mysterious Truth Social post from Donald Trump,” wrote Lars Christensen, a Danish economist, to their more than 32,000 followers on X.
“It demonstrates with absolute clarity that the man is suffering from dementia and cannot grasp the most basic connections. Why do I say this? Because what his post is almost certainly prompted by is the fact that the Danish navy evacuated a sick crew member from an American submarine near Greenland within the last few days.”
Trump’s announcement comes amid his ongoing and increasingly threatening campaign to acquire Greenland for the United States, which has included the deployment of a submarine off the coast of the arctic island.
Whether the USNS Mercy can even depart to Greenland is another open question, with maritime expert Mike Schuler noting in a report Saturday that the hospital ship is currently sitting in a dry dock in Alabama undergoing maintenance, maintenance that appears scheduled to continue through July.
“This Trump post is frankly unreal in its cynicism and gaslighting. He posted this because a US nuclear submarine – whose very presence near Greenland is already deeply provocative given the context – was just rescued by Danish military forces after one of its sailors fell ill,” wrote Arnaud Bertrand, an entrepreneur and frequent political commentator, in a social media post on X to their more than 380,000 followers.
“Denmark graciously rescued the sailor and evacuated him to treat him in a hospital in Greenland. The cherry on the cake is that there's no ‘great hospital boat’ coming to Greenland because both U.S. hospital ships – the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort – are currently incapacitated, undergoing maintenance. So ‘It's on the way!!!’ is simply a bold face lie.”
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a Governors Dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 21, 2026. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz
President Donald Trump made the bizarre announcement Saturday that he would be sending a hospital ship to Greenland on an apparent humanitarian mission, and with no explanation for what prompted the expedition – but critics have zeroed in on what they say is “almost certainly” the cause for the president’s confusing statement.
There is no documented health crisis in Greenland, a territory of Denmark, with all of its citizens entitled to universal health care that’s free at the point of service, as it is in most moderately wealthy nations other than the United States. Nevertheless, Trump suggested that he would be deploying the USNS Mercy to the arctic island, and that the hospital ship was already “on the way.”
As noted by critics, the peculiar announcement came within hours of an incident in which an American service member aboard a U.S. submarine off the coast of Greenland was evacuated by Danish forces and taken to a hospital after falling ill.
“I've now seen a number of comments on this mysterious Truth Social post from Donald Trump,” wrote Lars Christensen, a Danish economist, to their more than 32,000 followers on X.
“It demonstrates with absolute clarity that the man is suffering from dementia and cannot grasp the most basic connections. Why do I say this? Because what his post is almost certainly prompted by is the fact that the Danish navy evacuated a sick crew member from an American submarine near Greenland within the last few days.”
Trump’s announcement comes amid his ongoing and increasingly threatening campaign to acquire Greenland for the United States, which has included the deployment of a submarine off the coast of the arctic island.
Whether the USNS Mercy can even depart to Greenland is another open question, with maritime expert Mike Schuler noting in a report Saturday that the hospital ship is currently sitting in a dry dock in Alabama undergoing maintenance, maintenance that appears scheduled to continue through July.
“This Trump post is frankly unreal in its cynicism and gaslighting. He posted this because a US nuclear submarine – whose very presence near Greenland is already deeply provocative given the context – was just rescued by Danish military forces after one of its sailors fell ill,” wrote Arnaud Bertrand, an entrepreneur and frequent political commentator, in a social media post on X to their more than 380,000 followers.
“Denmark graciously rescued the sailor and evacuated him to treat him in a hospital in Greenland. The cherry on the cake is that there's no ‘great hospital boat’ coming to Greenland because both U.S. hospital ships – the USNS Mercy and the USNS Comfort – are currently incapacitated, undergoing maintenance. So ‘It's on the way!!!’ is simply a bold face lie.”
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