The Republican senator Lindsey Graham, one of President Donald Trump's most influential allies in foreign policy, celebrated the capture of Nicolás Maduro and issued a stern warning to the Cuban regime, stating that "their days are numbered."
The statements were made during the flight of Air Force One, in the same exchange with journalists where Trump stated that “Cuba is ready to fall”.
“Wait until you see what happens with Cuba”, said Graham, visibly elated. “Cuba is a communist dictatorship that has murdered priests and nuns, that has plundered its own people. Their days are numbered. We are going to wake up one day — I hope it’s in 2026 — and in our own neighborhood we will have allies in those countries, doing business with the United States, not drug terrorists and dictators who kill Americans.”
The senator from South Carolina described the military operation that led to Maduro's capture as "a historic day," emphasizing that "everyone is thinking differently now compared to just a few days ago, because of what you accomplished."
Graham, 70 years old, is one of the most influential voices of the hardline faction of the Republican Party on national security issues. As the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a veteran of the Air Force, he has been a steadfast advocate for a confrontational stance towards Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran.
In 2019, Graham was one of the first to publicly propose a "surgical" intervention against Maduro's regime, asserting that the United States should "accelerate the end of the Venezuelan narco-state."
Since then, it has maintained an unyielding stance towards Cuba, which it has labeled as "the head of the snake" in reference to the axis of leftist authoritarian regimes in Latin America.
"Cuba is not a victim; Cuba is the source. Every dictator in our hemisphere traces their support back to Havana," he stated in July 2021 following the protests of July 11, holding the Cuban government responsible for exporting repression and supporting allied dictatorships like those in Venezuela and Nicaragua.
Graham's words amplify the message issued by Trump just hours earlier, when the president declared that "Cuba has no income and is ready to fall," following the capture of its main economic ally.
In Washington, the alignment between both Republican leaders reinforces the perception that the White House is preparing for a strategic shift towards Cuba, focused on accelerating the collapse of the regime through economic suffocation and political isolation.
"This is a great day," Graham concluded. "And the whole world knows it."
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