The President of the United States, Donald Trump, spoke again this Friday about the possibility of sending U.S. military ships off the coast of Cuba once operations in Iran are completed, and stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would be responsible for "finalizing the deal" with the Island.
The statements were made during a campaign event held on October 23 in Fort Myers, Florida, where Trump participated in a Republican rally ahead of the legislative elections on November 3.
The leader responded to a question about Cuba with a mix of jokes and references to the U.S. military presence in the region, revisiting a scenario he had previously mentioned in earlier remarks.
"No, Cuba. He wants to know what's happening with Cuba. Come on, give me a break. Give me a break. Don't worry. We will take care of Cuba when we return from Iran", stated Trump.
He then suggested the possibility of making a stop near the Cuban coast.
"We will make a brief stop. No, we will make a brief stop," he repeated, before elaborating on his idea.
"In fact, what we will do with Cuba is that we will return from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass by Cuba. We will make one of them stop about 50 yards from the shore. They will raise their hands," he declared.
The distance mentioned by Trump is approximately 46 meters from the Cuban coast, which is actually a statement filled with humor rather than a real possibility at this time.
The president continued his remarks by directly mentioning the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, of Cuban origin.
"And then we are going to send Marco Rubio to finalize the deal. We will have Marco. Marco," he stated.
Trump added that it wouldn’t even be necessary to stop the ships for Rubio to intervene in Cuba.
“We don’t even have to stop. We can just leave it there and he will take care of it. He’s a great guy,” he said, referring to his Secretary of State.
The reference to the ships and Rubio's involvement occurred in the context of an electoral speech, featuring phrases that echoed previous comments made by the president.
This is not the first time Trump has mentioned bringing U.S. military vessels closer to Cuban shores following operations in Iran.
On May 1st, during a private dinner held in West Palm Beach, Florida, the president raised the possibility of sending the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier about 100 yards off the coast of Cuba.
On that occasion, Trump asserted that when the operation in Iran was over, the ship could approach the Island and provoke an alleged surrender of the Cuban authorities.
The scenario was presented in a humorous tone to the attendees, but it caught attention due to the president's references to a potential U.S. intervention in Cuba.
The idea resurfaced on September 22, during a meeting of the Shield of the Americas held in New York, when Trump joked about transporting Marco Rubio to Cuba on an aircraft carrier.
In that intervention, the president suggested that they would leave the Secretary of State in the middle of the island to resolve the situation, a reference similar to the one made this Friday in Fort Myers.
The repeated mentions of Rubio reflect the prominence that the leader assigns him in his policy toward Cuba, although they do not allow us to conclude that there is an approved military operation to move him to Cuban territory.
On September 30, during a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at the White House, Trump had already publicly highlighted Rubio's role in matters related to the Island, after also mentioning his Cuban family roots in previous meetings.
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