U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he was collaborating with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry to send a hospital vessel to Greenland, the Danish territory that the president has previously expressed interest in acquiring. The announcement came on social media shortly before the president hosted a dinner for Republican governors at the White House, where he sat beside and conversed with Landry.
"Working with the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, 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!!!"
Neither the White House nor Landry’s office answered questions about the social media post, including whether Denmark or Greenland had requested the ship and which sick people the president referred to. The Department of War had no immediate comment.
The timing of the statement follows a number of diplomatic gestures and military-related events in the region. Denmark’s King Frederik made a second visit to Greenland in a year last week, portrayed as an effort to show unity with the territory amid the president’s earlier push to buy the island. Denmark, Greenland and the United States held talks late last month to try to settle tensions that had arisen within the NATO defence alliance.
The president’s post was made hours after Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command said it had evacuated a crew member from a U.S. submarine in Greenland’s waters. The injured or ill crew member required urgent medical treatment and was removed seven nautical miles outside of Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.
It was not clear whether the announcement about the hospital ship was related to that evacuation or what role Governor Landry had in the initiative. The U.S. Navy operates two hospital ships, the Mercy and the Comfort, but neither of those vessels is stationed in Louisiana.
Questions remain about who requested the assistance, which medical cases prompted the move and whether any formal arrangements are in place between the U.S. and Danish or Greenlandic authorities for the deployment of a hospital vessel.