Donald Trump has signalled what could be his next focus, turning his attention to what he described as a ‘severely weakened’ Cuba and floating the idea of a possible US takeover.
The US President made the remarks after an oil blockade imposed by the United States was followed by widespread power outages across the island nation.
Speaking about the state of talks with Havana, Trump suggested the US held significant leverage and claimed he could act however he chose with respect to Cuba.
“You know, all my life I’ve been hearing about the United States and Cuba. When will the United States do it?” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.
“I do believe I’ll be … having the honour of taking Cuba,” Trump added. “Whether I free it, take it – think I could do anything I want with it. You want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation right now.”
Not long after the comments, a report from the New York Times said US officials had urged Cuba to remove its president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, citing four unnamed sources said to have been present during negotiations.
The spotlight on Cuba comes just two months after Trump removed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and took control of Venezuela. Venezuela had been one of Cuba’s most important external backers, and the change in Caracas intensified Cuba’s existing pressures.
Trump also moved to halt oil shipments from Venezuela to Cuba, alongside warnings that any foreign country attempting to supply Cuba with oil could face steep tariffs.
With energy supplies already strained, the prospect of forcing Díaz-Canel from office would add another destabilising factor by removing the country’s top leadership while leaving the Communist system intact.
For its part, Cuba has historically maintained that it will not be coerced by outside threats and has repeatedly indicated it would reject proposals that interfere in its domestic politics.
After launching major political interventions in both Venezuela and Iran in the space of three months—moves that drew condemnation and stirred division even within his own party—Trump’s comments have raised questions about whether Cuba could be next.
Trump has previously spoken about a ‘friendly takeover’, suggesting he wanted Cuba to yield without violence. More recently, however, he indicated that outcome was not assured.
However he recently told reporters: “It may not be a friendly takeover,” after all.
Díaz-Canel, 65, has criticised the suggestion and said any discussions with Washington would only take place ‘under the principles of equality and respect for the political systems of both countries, sovereignty and self-determination’.