WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and his top diplomat on Thursday reignited threats of U.S. military intervention in Cuba, a move that comes a day after federal authorities announced criminal charges against the island’s former leader, Raúl Castro.
Trump stated that previous U.S. presidents have considered intervening in Cuba for decades but claimed, “it looks like I’ll be the one that does it.” During an environmental event in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters: “Other presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years, doing something,” he said. “And, it looks like I’ll be the one that does it. So, I would be happy to do it.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately emphasized that Cuba has been a national security threat for years due to its ties with U.S. adversaries and stated that Trump is determined to address it. Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who has long advocated against Cuba’s socialist leadership, said while the administration prefers a peaceful diplomatic resolution, the likelihood of such an agreement with Cuba’s current government remains low.
“I’m just being honest with you,” Rubio told reporters in Miami before departing for a NATO meeting. “The likelihood of that happening, given who we’re dealing with right now, is not high.”
Despite recent meetings between U.S. officials and Cuban representatives to explore improved relations, top Trump aides have concluded the talks were unproductive, leading to additional sanctions on Cuba. Rubio noted that Cuba has historically relied on “buying time and waiting us out,” but added: “They’re not going to be able to wait us out or buy time. We’re very serious, we’re very focused.”
When asked about using force in Cuba to change the island’s political system, Rubio reiterated a preference for diplomatic solutions but stressed that “the president always has the option to do whatever it takes to support and protect the national interest.”
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday revealed an indictment accusing Raúl Castro of ordering the 1996 shootdown of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles. The charges, secretly filed in April by a grand jury, include murder and destruction of an airplane. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the indictment as a “political stunt” designed to “justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.”
The Castro indictment has drawn comparisons to the U.S. military operation that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in early January, who is now imprisoned in the U.S. and faces federal drug trafficking charges. The U.S. military deployed the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and accompanying ships to the Caribbean on Thursday as part of maritime exercises with Latin American partners.
Rubio declined to address how the U.S. might implement the indictment against Castro, who turns 95 next month. Trump has consistently escalated threats of regime change in Cuba since his pledge to conduct a “friendly takeover” if Cuban leadership did not open its economy to American investment and expel U.S. adversaries.
Rubio stated that Cuba poses a serious national security threat due to its intelligence ties with China and Russia and close alliances with U.S. adversaries in Latin America. China opposes U.S. sanctions and pressure on Cuba, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, who said: “China firmly supports Cuba in safeguarding its national sovereignty and national dignity and opposes external interference.”
