The president Donald Trump promised before thousands of supporters at a Turning Point USA rally held in Arizona that very soon the great strength of the U.S. military will bring a new dawn for Cuba, describing that moment as something that has been 70 years in the making.
"Very soon, this great fortress will also bring a day that has been awaited for 70 years. It is called a new dawn for Cuba. We are going to help them with Cuba," he declared.
The leader appealed directly to the Cuban-American community, which he described as people "brutally treated, whose families were killed and brutalized," and concluded with a warning filled with symbolism: "And now, look at what is happening."
Yesterday's statement is not an isolated incident, but the latest link in a chain of increasingly explicit presidential remarks regarding Cuba.
On March 16, Trump stated from the White House: "I believe I will have the honor of taking Cuba." On March 27, in Miami Beach, he said with laughter: Cuba is next, but pretend I didn't say that.
Last Tuesday, just two days before the rally in Phoenix, he remarked: "We might stop in Cuba after we finish with this," referring to the conflict with Iran.
In parallel, on the same Friday, the Trump administration offered to install Starlink in Cuba in exchange for free elections, the release of political prisoners, and compensation for property confiscated since 1959, according to meetings between the State Department and the Cuban regime.
Last Tuesday, USA Today revealed, citing anonymous sources, that the Pentagon may have accelerated planning for a possible military operation in Cuba following a new directive from the White House, and the Department of Defense confirmed it is ready to act if Trump orders it.
Trump has cited as precedents for military capability the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela in January 2026 and Operation Epic Fury against Iran, launched on February 28, operations that the administration presents as models of action.
The regime of Díaz-Canel has responded with a rhetoric of resistance. On April 7, he warned in an interview with Newsweek about immense losses for any invading force.
Last Wednesday, he warned of a possible military aggression by invoking the anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion and urged the people to prepare, declaring: We are ready to fight.
Cuba is experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades: the economy has seen a 23% decline since 2019, blackouts reach up to 20 hours a day, and an additional contraction of 7.2% is projected for 2026, exacerbated by the seizure of Venezuelan tankers that were supplying the island as part of Operation Lanza del Sur.
The Cuban-American congressman Mario Díaz-Balart summarized the moment with a phrase that resonates in the exile community: the regime in Cuba has never been so weak.
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