President Donald Trump stated this Wednesday, Cuba's Independence Day, that the United States has a CIA presence on the island and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio —whose parents are Cuban— brings essential experience to the policy towards Havana. The statements were disseminated by the State Department through its official account, granting them a deliberate and official character.
"We have a lot of people there. We have the CIA there. We have Marco there. Marco's parents, as you know, are from Cuba. So we have a lot of experience in Cuba," said Trump, adding that his administration is working to "free Cuba."
The leader described the humanitarian situation on the island starkly: "They have no way to live. They have no food. They have no electricity. They have no energy at all."
At the same time, Trump emphasized the potential of the Cuban people: "They have extraordinary people. I have so many Cuban friends in Miami, mainly in Miami and Florida. They are incredible individuals. They are amazing entrepreneurs," he noted, adding that many of them wish to return to Cuba and invest.
The statements come in the context of a coordinated communication offensive by the Trump administration on this symbolic date, which commemorates the proclamation of the Republic of Cuba in 1902. Trump also issued a message labeling Castroism as having "betrayed" Cuban independence and warning that the United States "will not tolerate" a "dictatorship 90 miles away."
In parallel, Rubio sent a message in Spanish to the Cuban people offering a "new relationship" with Washington and aid of 100 million dollars in food and medicine, contingent upon its distribution by the Catholic Church or trusted organizations, and not by the military conglomerate GAESA.
Trump's public mention of the CIA comes just days after the agency's director, John Ratcliffe, traveled to Havana on May 15 to deliver a direct message to the regime: there will be dialogue only if Cuba implements fundamental changes.
The day before, Trump had stated at a private dinner in West Palm Beach that he could “fix Cuba, whether or not the regime changes”, while Politico reported that Southern Command had begun planning for possible military scenarios against the island, ranging from airstrikes to a ground invasion, although no presidential decision had been made.
The regime responded through Miguel Díaz-Canel, who stated on Tuesday that the United States was raising its threat "to a dangerous and unprecedented level" and that "no aggressor, no matter how powerful, will find surrender in Cuba."
Since January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed more than 240 new sanctions against the regime, including measures against GAESA —which controls between 40% and 70% of the formal Cuban economy— and has set June 5 as the deadline for foreign companies to sever ties with sanctioned Cuban entities.
Trump summed up the historical significance of this moment with a phrase that speaks directly to the Cuban diaspora: "For many people, this will be one of the most important things we have done. They have been waiting for this moment for 65 years."
Filed under: