Trump wants Cuba "done" before he leaves and won't rule out force
In a radio interview, the U.S. president named Marco Rubio as his point man on the island and said he would consider a short military campaign. He announced no operation.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he wants to "get Cuba done" before he leaves the White House and would not rule out military force. He was answering a question in a telephone radio interview about whether he would order an operation to "free" the island.
Trump said he has "a very good, talented guy for Cuba named Marco," a reference to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents are Cuban. The host pressed: if a week of military action were enough, would he approve it? "I would certainly consider that, yes," Trump said. He called Cuba "essentially a failed place" and said he would act for the Cubans who came to the United States and were treated "very badly."
There was no announcement. Trump gave no targets, deployments or dates, and the White House has not clarified or softened his words. It was an answer to a question, not a decision.
He also claimed he won the Cuban vote in Florida "by 94%." The figure is his own; no count backs it up.
For Mexico, any escalation with Havana touches three fronts: the oil and aid the country has sent to the island, Mexico's long-held rejection of an armed solution and of the embargo, and its dealings with Washington, with the USMCA trade deal in the balance. President Claudia Sheinbaum expects to meet Trump at the G20 in December.
Neither the Cuban nor the Mexican government has responded to his remarks.
