"We will be sending a magnificent hospital ship to Greenland to take care of the many who are sick and not being cared for there. It's on its way!" Trump writes on his Truth Social platform.
Greenlandic and Danish reactions were quick to follow.
"President Trump's idea to send an American hospital ship here to Greenland is noted. But we have a public health system where treatment is free for citizens. It is a conscious choice," writes Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Facebook.
“Mysterious signal”
Aaja Chemnitz, who represents Greenland in the Danish parliament, comments on the same platform that Denmark and Greenland have better access to healthcare than Americans. “A new day, a new crazy news,” she begins her post.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, without mentioning Trump's remarks, took a jab at the United States.
"I am happy to live in a country with free and equal access to healthcare for everyone. Where it is not insurance and wealth that determine whether you get the right treatment," she wrote on Instagram and wished her followers a nice Sunday.
Donald Trump states in his post that the ship USNS Mercy is being sent in cooperation with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, whom the president has appointed as Greenland envoy.
Tuberculosis the cause?
In the post, the president does not explain which sick people he is talking about, but the statement comes after a crew member on a US submarine was evacuated on Saturday by Arctic Command (the Danish military headquarters in Greenland) for medical reasons, according to Greenlandic public service broadcaster KNR. The person was taken to a hospital in Nuuk.
However, Aaja Chemnitz offers a possible explanation for Trump's comments in her post. Tom Dans, one of the president's advisors and called "Trump's man in Greenland", raised concerns about tuberculosis in a conversation with her.
Greenland has long had high rates of the disease. The US government research institute NIH says on its website that “tuberculosis is a persistent health problem in Greenland” and that remote settlements have limited access to healthcare. According to the NIH, Greenland has 100 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In Sweden, the figure is around 3 per 100,000, according to the Public Health Agency of Sweden.
