Cuba Looks Ready To Fall, Says Trump; Signals Dominoes Falling Across Latin America
Unlike Venezuela, Trump suggested, Cuba may not even require direct U.S. intervention. "Cuba is ready to fall on its own," he said, adding that military action there was unlikely.
From aboard the Air Force One, US President Donald Trump painted a picture of a region he believes is nearing a breaking point. At the centre of it, he suggested, is Cuba. "Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall," Trump said on Sunday as he returned to Washington. "I don’t know if they’re going to hold out."
The comments came just a couple of days after a dramatic U.S. military raid inside Venezuela, where American forces detained President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Together, the events marked a sharp escalation in the administration’s posture toward leftist governments in the region — and a renewed fixation on Havana.
Trump framed Cuba’s vulnerability as economic rather than military. For decades, the island has relied on subsidised oil and financial support from Venezuela. With Venezuela now in turmoil and U.S. pressure tightening, Trump argued that lifeline has effectively been cut.
"Cuba only survives because of Venezuela," he said. "They got all of their income from Venezuelan oil. They’re not getting any of it."
Unlike Venezuela, Trump suggested, Cuba may not even require direct U.S. intervention. "Cuba is ready to fall on its own," he said, adding that military action there was unlikely because the government appears to be running out of economic options.
The tone contrasted sharply with the uncertainty surrounding Venezuela’s leadership vacuum. Asked who was in charge in Caracas, Trump waved away the question. "We’re in charge," he said.
For now, he said, the U.S. is willing to work with Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s deputy and the figure Washington says it can engage with — provided the new leadership 'behaves.' "If they don’t," Trump warned, "we will do a second strike."
The president’s rhetoric widened further as he turned his attention to Colombia. Trump lashed out at President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of enabling cocaine exports to the United States and warning that he "won’t be doing it very long."
He also issued a familiar threat toward Mexico, saying Washington would be forced to act if drug flows continued across the border.
