Trump posted that a hospital ship was headed to Greenland, so reporters checked, and what they found is embarrassing for the White House

President Trump recently posted that a U.S. Navy hospital ship was “on its way” to Greenland, but Pentagon officials confirmed they received no such orders. The reality of the situation seems to be quite different from what the president claimed.

According to The Wall Street Journal, both of the U.S.’s dedicated hospital ships are currently out of commission. The U.S. operates two hospital vessels: the USNS Comfort, which usually serves the East Coast, and the USNS Mercy, typically found on the West Coast. 

Both ships are currently docked at a shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. The Comfort is undergoing repairs not expected to finish until April, while the Mercy is in the middle of a year-long maintenance period that started last July.

Greenland’s prime minister and a U.S. envoy are sharply divided over Trump’s hospital ship offer

Even if a ship were available, Danish authorities would need to make a formal request before any U.S. vessel could dock on the island. Danish officials have already publicly rejected President Trump’s offer to send a hospital ship, making any potential deployment a non-starter diplomatically.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded directly to Trump’s post, saying, “It’s going to be a no thanks from us.” He said Greenland provides free healthcare for all its citizens. For more on how Nielsen pushed back against Trump’s Arctic moves, he also suggested that Trump should speak with him directly instead of making “random outbursts on social media.”

However, Jeff Landry, Louisiana’s governor and Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, took a different position. He condemned Nielsen’s comments, stating that he had spoken with many Greenlanders about their healthcare struggles. Landry pointed out that many villages and smaller towns in Greenland lack basic healthcare services, forcing residents to travel long distances for medical treatment.

Landry also tied the issue to national security, saying, “A healthy Greenland is vital for America’s national security. America is committed to defending Greenland, and that begins by ensuring its people are defended against basic illnesses and ailments.”

Trump’s interest in Greenland is not new. He has repeatedly expressed a desire to acquire the self-governing Danish territory, while Danish officials have consistently said the island is not for sale. Even after he softened his stance in late January, shifting from demanding a takeover to discussing a deal for more U.S. access, his social media posts continue to create diplomatic tensions.

Trump’s post about the hospital ship came just hours after Denmark’s military announced it had evacuated a U.S. submarine crew member who needed urgent medical treatment off the coast of Greenland.

The Danish Joint Arctic Command posted on social media that the crew member was transferred to a hospital in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. You can read more about how the prime minister stopped Trump’s hospital ship plan and what followed after his announcement.