President Trump says it was an honor to occupy Cuba, calling it a “failed nation”
“I think we can do whatever we want with this,” President Donald Trump said in comments to reporters, saying it would be a “great honor” to “occupy Cuba.”
President Donald Trump hinted again that action could be taken against Cuba as months of sanctions put pressure on the country and sparked talks between the United States and the island, located about 90 miles from Florida.
During his remarks at the Future Investment Initiative Summit in Miami on March 27, President Trump uttered the phrase “Cuba is next” while talking about the U.S. presence in Venezuela. The United States launched a military operation in January, detaining former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and immediately imposed sanctions and tariffs on Cuba.
“We’ve been very successful. You know, when I went to Venezuela…I said we’ve built this great military, and we never have to use it, but sometimes we have to use it,” Trump said, before adding, “By the way, next up is Cuba. But I hope I never said that.”
President Trump went on to plead with the media to “please ignore that statement, thank you,” before adding again, “Cuba is next.” He did not elaborate on the statement.
President Trump’s past statements about Cuba have similar themes.
The comments are the latest in a series of harsh remarks the Trump administration has made against Cuba in recent months in the wake of U.S. sanctions, including an oil blockade that has put pressure on Cuba’s aging power system, which has recently suffered nationwide power outages.
Those comments included President Trump describing Cuba as a “terrible state” and a “weakened country,” as well as saying he believed it would be an “honor to occupy Cuba” and that he could “do whatever he wanted” to the country, including the possibility of a “friendly takeover.” It is unclear what “occupying Cuba” means or what it looks like.
Additionally, President Trump previously indicated that the U.S. government would soon do “something with Cuba,” Reuters reported.
The United States and Cuba have both confirmed that they are negotiating, with Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington telling USA TODAY in an exclusive interview on March 13 that Havana is engaged in “serious” and “delicate” negotiations with the U.S. government. Neither side has disclosed details of the ongoing negotiations, but President Trump has portrayed Cuba as eager to reach an agreement.
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or X @katecperez_.
