US President Donald Trump raised the possibility of a Cuba intervention before the end of his term during a Thursday interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. Asked about using military force against the island, Trump said he wanted to get Cuba “done” and identified Secretary of State Marco Rubio as someone who would play a role, according to Firstpost.
The remarks followed earlier statements about taking over Cuba and seeking changes from its government. They also came after Republican losses in the midterm elections, with the administration facing criticism over the continuing war in Iran.
Cuba intervention remarks point to Rubio
Hewitt asked Trump whether he would use military force in relation to Cuba, according to International Business Times. Trump answered by linking his goal to the end of his presidency and highlighting Rubio.
“Well, I want to get Cuba done before I leave, yeah. And we have a very good, talented guy for Cuba named Marco.”
Trump noted that Rubio’s parents were from Cuba and said the secretary of state would “love to do that.” Firstpost reported that Trump described the prospective operation as something he wanted to undertake for Cuban-Americans who had voted for him in Florida.
International Business Times quoted Trump saying: “I’d love to be able to do it for the people, for the Cubans that came and were treated really badly, and they came to America.”
The interview did not establish a specific timetable or explain Rubio’s prospective responsibilities. International Business Times reported that Hewitt did not ask follow-up questions about when an operation might happen, its constitutionality or how Trump would navigate Congress.
Earlier comments on taking Cuba
Firstpost described the remarks as the first time Trump had explicitly attached a timeline to his calls for changing Cuba’s government. His stated goal for a Cuba intervention was to act before leaving office, rather than by a particular date.
In March, Trump told reporters he believed he would be “having the honour of taking Cuba,” according to Firstpost. He also said: “Whether I free it or take it, I think I can do anything I want with it.”
During his address to the United Nations General Assembly in September, Trump said the United States was seeking “fundamental change” from the island. At a Monday press briefing, when asked whether he still planned on taking Cuba, he said he thought it “will fall fairly soon,” Firstpost reported.
Oil blockade and nationwide blackouts
Cuba’s economic and energy difficulties also featured in Trump’s interview. International Business Times reported that US sanctions had crippled the country’s economy and led to energy and fuel shortages.
Firstpost reported that the United States imposed an oil blockade after a Trump-ordered operation deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a key ally of the Cuban government. The outlet said the blockade collapsed Cuba’s electrical grid and triggered a humanitarian crisis.
International Business Times, citing CNBC, reported that Cuba had endured repeated nationwide blackouts in recent months. It also reported that the Cuban embassy said this week that the US blockade had cost Cuba about $8 billion from March 2025 to February 2026.
Trump described Cuba as failed during the interview. “It’s essentially a failed, you know, place, nation, whatever you want to call it. It’s failed. And we’re watching it. I would like to be able to do it,” he said, according to International Business Times.
Rubio and State Department criticize Havana
Rubio delivered a similar assessment last month, telling Fox News host Sean Hannity that Cuba had “already fallen” and was a “failed state,” according to Firstpost.
“It does not have a functional economy, and it is governed by people who continue to preach about some revolution that has been dead for 20 years,” Rubio said. “It’s never worked.”
In a sanctions announcement, the State Department accused Cuba’s “ruling elite” of hoarding energy, shipping and technology resources for its own enrichment while leaving Cubans facing blackouts, shortages and a stagnant economy, Firstpost reported.
Iran war dominates post-election criticism
Firstpost linked the Republican midterm defeat in part to the unpopular Iran war, reporting that the conflict had raised fuel and food prices. International Business Times reported that Democrats would control Congress and were already questioning the war’s legitimacy and demanding its end.
“We are going to end the war,” Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said after the elections, according to International Business Times. He cited Congress’s power of the purse as a way to deter presidential war-making without public consent.
Vice President JD Vance also attributed the election losses to the conflict in a post on X quoted by the outlet: “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.”
