Donald Trump stated this Friday, during a private dinner at the Forum Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, that the United States would "take control" of Cuba "almost immediately" after concluding its military operations in Iran, and outlined a scenario in which the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln would approach the Cuban shores until the regime surrendered.
The exact quote from the president, captured on video and widely circulated, was: "On the way back from Iran, we will have one of our greats, perhaps the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, the largest in the world, will come, stop about 100 yards from the shore, and they will say: Thank you very much, we surrender."
What exactly did Trump say?
Trump made the remarks while referring to a Cuban-born architect present at the event, noting that he came from "a place called Cuba, which we will be taking almost immediately." He added, "I like to finish a job first," referring to prioritizing the conflict with Iran before taking action on Cuba.
The White House did not immediately clarify whether the remarks were a political hyperbole, a direct warning to the Cuban regime, or a reference to possible future actions.
Context of the statement
Trump's words did not come out of nowhere. On the same day as the speech, Trump signed a new executive order that dramatically expands sanctions against Cuba, blocking assets linked to the regime and imposing secondary sanctions on foreign banks that do business with Cuban entities.
This measure adds to a maximum pressure campaign that has accumulated over 240 sanctions since January 2025, including the reinstatement of Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism on January 20, 2026, and Executive Order 14380, which declared Cuba an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security.
Analysts point out that the strategy follows the pattern previously applied against Venezuela: gradual economic pressure, energy blockade, and naval presence in the Caribbean.
Is such a deployment feasible?
From a technical-military perspective, the scenario described by Trump presents serious limitations. The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is currently deployed in the Middle East, where three aircraft carriers operated simultaneously in April for the first time since 2003 in the so-called Operation Epic Fury.
Cuba claims territorial waters extending 12 nautical miles from its baseline in accordance with international maritime law. Positioning an aircraft carrier 100 yards —approximately 91 meters— from the coast would involve sailing deeply into those territorial waters, which would represent an extreme military pressure action and have significant diplomatic repercussions.
Reactions and analysis
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that Trump will not allow foreign military or intelligence operations in Cuba, 90 miles from U.S. territory, referring to the presence of Russia, China, and Iran on the island.
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton warned in April that Trump could repeat a similar mistake in Cuba as he did in Venezuela, while CARICOM has criticized the sanctions, raising concerns about their impacts on "severe economic difficulties, energy shortages, and humanitarian tensions" in the region.
The regime of Miguel Díaz-Canel did not provide an immediate response to the statements. Russia and China, for their part, have continued to support Havana both politically and economically despite pressure from Washington.
Beyond Trump's defiant tone, his words come at a time of increasing pressure against a dictatorship that has been marked for decades by political repression, a lack of freedoms, and absolute control over the economy. The crisis faced by millions of Cubans primarily originates from the model imposed by the regime, its structural inefficiency, the corruption of its elites, and the absence of basic rights within the island.
The threat of bringing an aircraft carrier close to Cuban shores appears, for now, to be a way to elevate the political message and demonstrate strength against Havana. It also confirms that Cuba is back at the center of Washington's security agenda, amid a strategy of increasingly direct pressure against the regime.
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