The spokesperson for the White House, Karoline Leavitt, reaffirmed on Wednesday that the Cuban regime is destined to fall, clarifying a previous statement by President Donald Trump in which he said, "Cuba is next."
The clarification came in response to a question from journalists about the exact meaning of Trump's words, spoken on March 27 during the Future Investment Initiative conference in Miami, where the president ironically said: Cuba is next, by the way, but pretend I didn't say that... Media, please ignore this statement. Thank you very much. Keep Cuba.
"I believe that when President Trump said that —and later clarified it— he was referring to the fact that the Cuban regime is destined to fall," Leavitt explained to the press.
The spokesperson was emphatic in describing the situation on the island: "The country is very weak. It is in a very weak economic position, and obviously also in financial terms."
Leavitt also spoke directly about the Cuban people: "The Cuban people are fed up with their government, as they should be."
Regarding the status of diplomatic efforts, the spokesperson indicated that "these conversations and discussions continue to take place at the highest level of our government," although she clarified that she had no updates or specific announcements regarding policy towards Cuba.
The spokesperson's words come at a time of intense U.S. pressure on Havana.
Since January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed over 240 new sanctions against the regime and signed Executive Order 14380, declaring Cuba an extraordinary threat and imposing tariffs on countries that supply it with oil.
In that context, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on March 11 that Cuba is in its final moments and anticipated "some news quite soon" about the island.
For her part, the Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal confirmed this Wednesday to the AFP agency that there are contacts between both governments, although in a very preliminary phase, without structured formal negotiations.
The Cuban regime also released more than 2,000 political prisoners on April 3, in a gesture that some analysts link to the ongoing negotiation process.
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