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His family members were mutilated and killed by Castro: with those words, filled with decades of pain, Donald Trump promised this Monday that the United States will be present when the Cuban regime collapses.
The statement was captured on video while the president was answering questions from journalists. "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 who were expelled from Cuba," Trump asserted confidently.
The words resonated with a special strength just six days after the Free Cuba Rally held on March 24 at Milander Park, Hialeah, where more than 8,000 Cuban Americans chanted Cuba Next, Cuba Libre, and Intervene Now with an intensity that has only built up over 60 years of waiting.
In that rally, a 92-year-old woman dancing and shouting Cuba Libre became the symbol of a generation that continues to believe. Senator Ileana García moved the audience by asking her 100-year-old grandmother to "hang in there." The mayor of Hialeah, Bryan Calvo, 28 years old, called the event with a slogan that encapsulates the moment: The moment for a Free Cuba is now.
The promise from Trump comes amid a context of maximum tension. This Monday, it was also revealed that the president authorized the arrival of the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin — with 730,000 barrels of crude oil — at the port of Matanzas, scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday. But Trump was unequivocal: that will not matter for the regime's fate.
The expert Jorge Piñón from the University of Texas estimated that this shipment only covers about two weeks of Cuban consumption, which is calculated to be approximately 37,000 barrels per day.
Cuba has not received stable shipments of crude oil since January 9, 2026, when the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. special forces disrupted the Venezuelan supply. Blackouts reach up to 40 hours a day, basic food items are unattainable, and the economy is projected to contract an additional 7.2% this year, totaling a decline of 23% since 2019.
The rhetorical escalation by Trump regarding Cuba has been consistent throughout this month. On March 16, he said from the White House: "I believe I will have the honor of taking Cuba". On March 27, at the FII Priority Summit in Miami Beach, he declared "Cuba is next, please pretend I didn’t say that".
The Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading secret negotiations for a regime change. The government of Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed on March 13 that there are dialogues with Washington and released 51 political prisoners as a gesture, but it refuses to negotiate its power structure.
While the Cuban exile community in Hialeah —where Cuban Americans make up nearly 80% of the population— continues chanting "Cuba Next," Trump concluded his message with a phrase that encapsulates the promise: Cuba will be next, yes.
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