Trump sparks fears after saying he's sending 'great hospital boat' to Greenland: What this could mean?

Amid heightened Iran-US tensions, US President Donald Trump has said that he was sending a ‘hospital boat’ to Greenland. He said the boat would treat many "sick" people in Greenland, without providing any details on who he was referring to or the number of people the vessel would help. "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," Trump wrote in a social media post. "It's on the way!!!," he added. He said he is doing it in coordination with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. He was named as Trump's envoy to the Arctic island in December.

His Truth Social post showed an AI image of USNS Mercy -- an 894-foot (272-meter) vessel that is typically stationed in southern California -- sailing toward snowcapped mountains on the horizon. It was unclear if that was the actual vessel being sent to Greenland.

This comes days after Denmark PM Mette Frederiksen warned that US interest in Greenland is ongoing. “Of course not. Can you put a price on a part of Spain, or a part of the US, or a part of anywhere else in the world?" she said. "The Greenlandic people have been very clear: they don’t want to become Americans," she said during recently concluded the Munich Security Conference 2026.

Just, days ago, Trump, in a Truth Social post, reshared a map of United States showing Greenland and Canada as its part. In the post, Trump shared an AI image showing himself seated inside the Oval Office, with NATO leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italy's Giorgia Meloni, UK PM Keir Starmer President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, among others.

Trump in January also shared another post that showed Trump along with Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Macro Rubio, hoisting US flag in Greenland.

It all started after US strike on Venezuela and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Trump claimed that making the Danish territory part of the United States would serve US national security interests, given its strategic location on the Arctic. Trump argued that US ownership is a necessity to prevent Russia or China from occupying the territory. He claimed that the area is already "covered with Russian and Chinese ships" and mocked Greenland’s own defenses as consisting of just “two dog sleds.” Trump also linked his desire to take control of Greenland to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize, saying he no longer thought "purely of Peace."

Greenland's defence and foreign policy is controled by Denmark while the island has been under extensive self-government since 1979. Greenland is often described as a "giant stationary aircraft carrier" due to its position in the Arctic. It holds massive deposits of rare earth elements. Approximately 20% of the world's fresh water is locked in Greenland's ice sheet.