A new threat. “Cuba is next,” declared US President Donald Trump on Friday, dismissing the idea that recent US military operations could cost him political support in his country.
The Cuban communist government is facing increasing pressure from Donald Trump, who imposed a de facto oil blockade in January and hinted at the possibility of “taking” control of the Caribbean.
Speaking at the FII Priority investment forum, supported by Saudi Arabia and held in Miami (southeastern United States), Donald Trump stated that his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement wanted “strength” and “victory,” citing the January raid in which American forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“Cuba brandishes an indestructible resistance”
“I built this great army. I said, ‘You’ll never get to use it,’ but sometimes, we have no choice,” affirmed the US President. “And Cuba is next, by the way. But pretend like I didn’t say anything.” Donald Trump did not specify what he planned to do regarding Cuba, telling the media to “disregard this statement” before repeating “Cuba is next,” eliciting laughter from the audience.
In his Friday speech, the Republican President also took a jab by dubbing the Strait of Hormuz the “Strait of Trump.” Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel reassured last week that any external aggressor would encounter an “indestructible resistance,” even as the country, plagued by shortages, experienced two national power outages in one week.
The United States has subjected Cuba to a commercial embargo for decades. Relations had improved in recent years but have again significantly deteriorated since Donald Trump’s second term began, with the US President seeking to strengthen Washington’s grip on Latin America.
A Cuban diplomat recently stated that Havana was willing to continue dialogue with Washington, but discussing a change in their political system was out of the question.
