In a striking public comment, President Donald Trump suggested Friday that the United States might pursue what he called a “friendly takeover” of Cuba as tensions with the island nation 90 miles off the coast of Florida have heightened.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is holding discussions with Cuban authorities at what he termed a “very high level”, though he did not provide specifics on the content or scope of those negotiations. The president said, “The Cuban government is talking with us. They have no money. They have no anything right now, but they’re talking with us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.” He added, “We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba.”
Trump’s comments come amid escalating tension between Washington and Havana. The president described the island nation as “a failed nation” in deep economic trouble, citing lack of money, oil and food to reporters. He suggested that any transformation could be “very positive for the people that were expelled, or worse, from Cuba and live here.”
The United States has maintained a comprehensive trade embargo on Cuba since 1962, and past proposals for direct U.S. action, including Cold War-era plans like Operation Northwoods, involving staged attacks on U.S. citizens to justify intervention, were considered but never carried out. The embargo was intensified by the Helms-Burton Act, passed in 1996, after the fall of the Soviet Union, a key supplier to Cuba.
Following a U.S. operation that led to the capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in January, shipments of oil from Caracas to Cuba were disrupted. In response, the Trump administration imposed tariffs on countries selling oil to Cuba as part of a wider pressure campaign. Cuban authorities have denounced the embargo and related measures as punitive and harmful to civilians.
Earlier this week, a speedboat registered in Florida carrying armed Cubans was intercepted by Cuban forces off the island’s north coast, resulting in at least four deaths and several injuries during an exchange of fire, according to Cuban government statements. This incident spurred communications between Havana and Washington, including exchanges between Cuban officials and U.S. agencies such as the Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security.
Cuba’s government has acknowledged dialogue with U.S. officials but insists it is not engaged in formal, high-level negotiations that would compromise its sovereignty. Civil society groups in the United States have also responded critically. More than 40 organizations have urged Congress to counter Trump’s aggressive stance toward Cuba, warning that policies aimed at crippling the Cuban economy could trigger a humanitarian crisis and violate international law.
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