Trump Says He Would Consider Military Force to ‘Get Cuba Done’ Before Leaving Office
President Donald Trump has said he wants to “get Cuba done” before he leaves office — and that he would “certainly consider” using American military force to do it.
In a 42-minute telephone interview with the conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, released on Thursday night, Trump said the United States was watching Cuba “very closely” and suggested a campaign lasting about a week could be enough to remove the island’s communist government.
“I want to get Cuba done before I leave, yeah,” Trump said, according to the full transcript of the interview. He added: “We have a very good, talented guy for Cuba named Marco. … He would love to do that.”
A week-long campaign?
Hewitt put the question to Trump directly: “So if it took a little bit of military force, a week campaign, you’d be okay with that?”
“I would certainly consider that, yes,” Trump replied.
Trump announced no order, no decision and no operation, and the White House has announced no military planning for Cuba. Politico reported it was the first time Trump had put a timeline on possible action against Havana. His term ends in January 2029.
“We’re watching it very closely. It’s doing very poorly. … 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,” Trump said.
Rubio at the centre
Trump named Secretary of State Marco Rubio — the Miami-born son of Cuban immigrants — as the leading figure in the administration’s approach to Cuba. Rubio has led the administration’s opposition to the government in Havana, led by Miguel Díaz-Canel, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba.
Trump told Hewitt he had won the Cuban vote in Florida by 94 per cent, and said Rubio “would love” to see the Cuban government removed.
In July, Rubio’s State Department released a 64-page report on Cuba’s activities in the United States. The Cuba question has also reached into domestic politics: Florida has subpoenaed the Democratic Socialists of America over alleged funding links to Cuba and China.
Months of mounting pressure
The remarks follow months of escalating economic pressure on Havana. On 29 January, Trump signed Executive Order 14380, “Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of Cuba”, declaring a national emergency and authorising tariffs on imports from countries that supply oil to the island. A further executive order on 1 May widened the sanctions framework.
Cuba is suffering severe fuel shortages, rolling blackouts and a deepening economic crisis as the flow of oil to the island has tightened. Trump has leaned heavily on sanctions and blockade as tools of foreign policy, and in March he said he believed he would have the honour of taking Cuba as the island’s power grid collapsed.
On Monday, Trump said Cuba “will fall fairly soon” and that the United States would help “on a humanitarian basis”.
The world pushes back
G7 foreign ministers met in Paris on 9 and 10 November and adopted a declaration on Cuba urging political and economic reforms, the release of detained people and better humanitarian aid delivery. The text was published by the French foreign ministry on 11 November.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez rejected the declaration on Thursday, saying it ignored the impact of the US embargo.
On 28 October, the United Nations General Assembly voted 130 to 17, with 25 abstentions, to call for an end to the US embargo on Cuba.
In the same interview, Trump also said he would not hesitate to resume military strikes against Iran if it attacked US allies or ships.
