March 2, 2026
Trump’s vague comment follows reports a Florida-registered speedboat carrying 10 armed Cuban nationals was intercepted by Cuban border guards.
President Donald Trump claims the U.S. is in talks with Havana about a possible “friendly takeover” but failed to give context, leaving questions on what that means, NBC News reports.
The president told reporters that he and Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, have had “very high level” discussions with Cuban leaders after claiming the country “is, to put it mildly, a failed nation” and wants help from the U.S. “The Cuban government is talking with us. They have no money. They have nothing right now. But they’re talking to us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba,” Trump said before leaving for Texas for a rally.
“We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba.”
The vague comment comes just two days after the country’s government reported a Florida-registered speedboat carrying 10 armed Cuban nationals opened fire on Cuban soldiers. Four of the Cuban nationals were killed, leaving six and one other official injured. It also comes weeks after Trump blocked fuel from coming into the island, causing massive flight cancellations and a public health crisis for the city of Havana.
The United Nations’ top official for Cuba confirmed the crisis, warning that everyday life in Cuba is “becoming fragile,” according to The Hill, with heightened strains on health care, water services and food distribution. Cuban government officials have instituted emergency measures in an effort to move past the fuel shortage, revealing they have roughly between six and seven weeks of fuel left before a major blackout occurs.
Tensions with Cuba have seemingly come to a head since U.S. forces captured one of the country’s closest allies, Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolás Maduro, in early January 2026. His new comments are a switch up from him once claiming military action in Cuba might not be necessary due to the island’s weak economy. “We’ve had a lot of years of dealing with Cuba. I’ve been hearing about Cuba since I’m a little boy. But they’re in big trouble,” Trump said.
There seems to be some confusion on Capitol Hill about the dealings with the country as more than 40 civil society organizations urged Congress to “press the Trump administration to reverse its aggressive policy towards Cuba” in a letter highlighting efforts to cut oil shipments to the Caribbean island could possibly cause a humanitarian collapse.
But one lawmaker is already preparing voters for more issues with Cuba. During a Fox News interview, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham claimed that Cuba will be next, referring to recent military activity in Iran. “President Trump finished the job that President Reagan failed to do! I am a big admirer of Ronald Reagan, but I’m here to tell you that Donald Trump is the gold standard for Republicans, maybe any president, when it comes to foreign policy,” he said.
“Maduro? Everybody talked about him; well, Donald Trump’s got him in jail! Cuba’s next. They’re gonna fall. This communist dictatorship in Cuba? Their days are numbered.”
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