By Emmanuel Bobby
President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States is engaged in high-level talks with Havana and raised the possibility of what he described as a “friendly takeover of Cuba,” though he offered no specifics about what that would entail.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House before departing for Texas, Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in discussions with Cuban leaders “at a very high level.”
“The Cuban government is talking with us,” Trump said. “They have no money. They have no anything right now. But they’re talking to us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”
He repeated the phrase moments later, saying, “We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba.”
The president did not elaborate on the meaning of his remarks but suggested that Cuba’s long-running standoff with Washington may be approaching a turning point. The White House did not provide additional details when asked for clarification.
Trump described Cuba as “a failed nation” and claimed its leaders were seeking U.S. assistance.
Tensions Flare After Armed Boat Incident
His comments came two days after Cuban authorities reported that a Florida-registered speedboat carrying 10 armed Cubans opened fire on soldiers off the island’s north coast. According to the Cuban government, four of the armed individuals were killed and six injured in return fire. One Cuban official was also wounded.
Cuba’s government confirmed earlier this week that it had been communicating with U.S. officials following the shooting. Rubio has said the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating the incident.
Regional Shifts After Maduro’s Ouster
Trump has referenced Cuba repeatedly in recent months, particularly after U.S. forces ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, one of Havana’s closest allies. Following that development, Trump suggested that military action in Cuba might not be necessary, arguing that the island’s struggling economy — especially without oil shipments from Venezuela — could collapse under its own weight.
“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 Friday.
He also alluded to the Cuban exile community in the United States, saying there could soon be developments “very positive for the people that were expelled, or worse, from Cuba and live here,” without offering further explanation.
Embargo and Policy Pressure
The United States has enforced a trade embargo on Cuba since 1962, a year after the failed CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion. Despite that history, Trump indicated earlier this month that diplomatic contacts were underway.
In late January, Trump signed an executive order pledging tariffs on countries that provide oil to Cuba, a move seen as intensifying pressure on the island amid a worsening energy crisis. U.S. authorities have since indicated that Venezuelan oil may be sold to Cuban interests under certain conditions.
Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, briefly posted on social media Friday that the U.S. “maintains its fuel embargo against Cuba in full force,” calling it a form of collective punishment. He later deleted the post, but not before writing that recent announcements did not ease the burden on the Cuban population.
Civil Society Pushback
More than 40 U.S. civil society organizations sent a letter to Congress urging lawmakers to “press the Trump administration to reverse its aggressive policy towards Cuba.” The signatories warned that efforts to cut oil shipments to the island risk triggering a humanitarian collapse.
Among the groups signing the letter were the Alliance of Baptists, ActionAid USA and the Presbyterian Church. The letter stated that policies deliberately imposing widespread hardship on civilians could amount to collective punishment and violate international humanitarian law.
As diplomatic contacts continue and tensions remain high, Trump’s remarks have injected fresh uncertainty into the already fraught relationship between Washington and Havana.