Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and National Security Advisor at the White House, stated this Thursday on Fox News that Cuba has been an "operations hub for America's adversaries for decades," emphasizing that the island is just a 45-minute flight from the U.S. coast.
"It is the last bastion of communism. It is the last bastion of the Cold War," declared Miller, who added that "U.S. presidents for generations have tried to deal with the problem, the threat of this communist stronghold just a few miles off the shores of America."
The statements come amid a sustained escalation of the Trump administration's maximum pressure policy towards Havana, just four days after a report from Axios, based on classified intelligence, revealed that Cuba has reportedly acquired more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023.
According to the report, the drones would be stored in strategic positions on the island, and Cuban officials allegedly discussed attack scenarios against the Guantanamo Naval Base, U.S. warships, and even Key West, Florida.
The Cuban regime responded to these revelations by invoking its "right to legitimate defense," without explicitly denying the acquisitions. Official Carlos Fernández de Cossío stated that "Cuba has the right to defend itself".
Miller concluded his statements with a direct message of support for President Trump: "Through his leadership and vision, he has brought us closer than ever to the day when Cuba will be free and when Cuba will no longer be a threat to America, but a friend and partner, which is essential for our national security."
The advisor's words are set against a backdrop of particularly harsh rhetoric coming from Washington this week.
On Tuesday, Trump stated that resolving the issue of Cuba "will not be difficult" for the U.S. and left open the possibility of a diplomatic agreement related to changes in the Cuban system, also noting that on the island "they cannot turn on the lights, they cannot eat."
On Wednesday, Trump issued a message against Havana, portraying Cuba as a "rogue state" and warning that the U.S. "will not tolerate" threats coming from the island.
Since January 2026, the administration has imposed over 240 new sanctions against Cuba.
On January 29, Trump declared a national emergency through Executive Order 14380, labeling the Cuban government as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security. On May 7, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced direct sanctions against GAESA, the military conglomerate that controls a large portion of the island's economy.
Washington's official narrative links the Cuban regime with Russia, China, Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah as hostile actors present on the island, reinforcing the Trump administration's position that Cuba represents an active threat to the security of the Western Hemisphere.
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