The president Donald Trump stated this Friday that Cuba is his next target and ironically urged the media to ignore his own words, in a statement shared on social media.
The exact transcription of the clip is as follows: "Please pretend I didn't say that. Please, please, please, media, please ignore that statement. Thank you very much. Cuba is next. Despite the government shutdown by radical left Democrats, we will continue to defend our sovereign borders."
The video was shared by journalist Eric Daugherty on X, who added: "Marco Rubio is negotiating behind the scenes", referring to the central role that the Secretary of State plays in Washington's strategy toward Havana.
The statement comes amid a sustained escalation of presidential rhetoric regarding Cuba. On March 7, at the Shield of the Americas summit held in Doral, Florida, Trump claimed that "Cuba is in its last moments of life."
On March 16, he said that "I will have the honor of taking Cuba" and that "I believe I could do whatever I want with it." On March 17, he referred to it as a "failed nation" and stated that "it needs to change dramatically."
This rhetoric is part of a maximum pressure strategy that began on January 29 with the signing of Executive Order 14380, through which Trump declared Cuba an extraordinary threat and imposed tariffs on countries supplying it with oil.
The measure exacerbated an already severe energy crisis: Cuba had lost Venezuelan supplies of between 26,000 and 35,000 barrels per day following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January.
Meanwhile, the administration is exploring a diplomatic avenue. Trump stated on February 27 that "Marco Rubio is managing this at a very high level" and joked in March that Rubio "will take an hour off and then finalize an agreement on Cuba."
On March 13, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed bilateral talks with the United States, and the regime agreed to release 51 political prisoners as part of that process.
On the same Friday, Democratic congress members led by Representatives Meeks and Jayapal introduced the so-called Law to Prevent an Unconstitutional War in Cuba, legislation aimed at blocking the use of federal funds for military actions against the island without Congressional authorization.
Reports from The Atlantic, Bloomberg, and USA Today, citing sources from the White House, indicate that the administration does not plan a direct military invasion, but rather a gradual transition through economic pressure and negotiation with figures from the regime.
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