President Donald Trump stated this Monday, aboard Air Force One, that he will fail very soon and we will be there to help when that happens: "We will be there to help, to help our great Cuban Americans."
The statements arose when a journalist asked him what he meant exactly by claiming days earlier that Cuba would be "next." Trump responded straightforwardly: "Cuba will be next. It's a disaster, a failed country. It will fail very soon, and we will be there to help, to assist our great Cuban Americans."
The leader went further and recalled the historical suffering of the Cuban community in exile: "We will be there to help our great Cuban Americans, who were expelled from Cuba; in many cases, their relatives were mutilated and murdered by Castro."
Trump had originally stated the phrase Cuba is next at the FII Priority Summit, held on March 28 at the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach, where he boasted about the military successes of the United States following actions in Venezuela and Iran. On that occasion, he ironically urged the media to "act as if he hadn't said it".
This Monday, however, the president left no room for doubt about his prediction: "Cuba is finished... whether or not an oil ship arrives, it won't matter."
The statement came on the same day that the administration allowed the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin, loaded with 730,000 barrels of crude oil to dock at the port of Matanzas. Trump justified the decision with a humanitarian argument but insisted that it would not change the regime's fate, stating: "I have no problem, whether it's Russia or not".
Trump's statements are part of a sustained escalation of pressure on Havana, which began on January 29, when he signed Executive Order 14380, declaring the Cuban government an extraordinary threat to national security and imposing tariffs on countries that supply it with oil.
This policy led to the cessation of shipments from Mexico and Venezuela, leaving the island without fuel for three months and triggering a severe energy crisis: blackouts that affected up to 64% of the country, generation deficits exceeding 2,040 MW, and an emergency plan from the UN for $94.1 million due to the risk of loss of life.
On March 16, Trump had already anticipated his stance from the White House by stating that "I will have the honor of taking Cuba if I manage to free it", and described the Castros as "very violent leaders" who left a country without energy or money.
In Congress, Democrats Gregory Meeks and Pramila Jayapal introduced on March 26 the so-called "Law to Prevent an Unconstitutional War in Cuba", aimed at blocking funds for any military action without legislative approval.
Meanwhile, in Hialeah, the Cuban exile community held a rally under the slogan Free Cuba where Cuba Next was chanted in support of the president's stance.
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