The Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Cuba is "certainly a priority" for the Trump administration and that he is "confident" that the island will be on an "irreversible path toward a very different future" before the end of the presidential term.
The statements emerged in the 51st episode of the Katie Miller Pod, recorded at the State Department, when the host directly asked whether Cuba would be "the next" after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela on January 3, 2026.
"I am confident that Cuba, before this administration ends, will be on an irreversible path toward a very different future," Rubio responded without hesitation.
The head of U.S. diplomacy warned, however, that change will not happen overnight: “You can't have something rooted for 70 years and think that overnight you're going to tear it all out and plant something completely new. There has to be a transition and a process.”
To illustrate his vision, Rubio referenced the experience of Eastern Europe after the fall of communism: "The countries of Eastern Europe took between three and five years to become what we know today. Poland is probably the best example."
The Secretary of State emphasized that his stance towards Cuba reflects the national interest of the United States, not personal ties, although he acknowledged his connection to the island as the child of Cuban immigrants: "I work for the United States of America. I care about Cuba; I obviously have a personal connection to it, but I do not work for Cuba. I believe it is a national interest of our country to have a safe, stable Cuba aligned with the U.S."
Rubio explicitly equated the policy towards Cuba with the same logic he applied to Venezuela: "The same feeling I have about Venezuela."
These statements are part of a maximum pressure campaign that the Trump administration has intensified throughout 2026, with more than two dozen actions against the Cuban regime, including sanctions on over 40 entities and at least 38 individuals.
Among the most recent measures, on July 23, Rubio expanded sanctions against nine entities and two Cuban officials, including the Minister of Public Health José Ángel Portal Miranda.
The Mariel Container Terminal, the Cuban Medical Services Marketing Entity, and the Central Medical Cooperation Unit, among others, were also sanctioned.
Rubio's stated goal is to close every "escape valve" of the regime to evade sanctions, a strategy that started with the sanction against CUPET in June under Executive Order 14404, signed by Trump on May 1, 2026.
Jeanette Rubio, wife of the Secretary of State, revealed on the same program that in the weeks leading up to Maduro's capture, she noticed signs that something significant was being planned: "I knew something was happening. He was constantly in and out. We didn't do anything during the holidays. I knew something was going on, but I didn't know exactly what it was."
Rubio has been working in foreign relations for 14 years from the Senate and was appointed Secretary of State by Trump within 48 to 72 hours after winning the election, without the proposal being presented to him as an option: "It wasn't like 'Would you be interested?'. It was more like: you are going to be, and I said, fine, here we go."
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