President Donald Trump has hinted at possible US military action before his term wraps up, telling a conservative radio audience he wants an island nation “done” and would weigh armed intervention. It’s the first time he has attached a deadline to the idea, amid an already ongoing war with Iran.
Donald Trump talks about US military intervention in Cuba
Trump said he wants to “get Cuba done before I leave” and confirmed his team is monitoring the situation closely. Asked whether he would support using “a little bit” of military force to free the island from communist rule, the president replied he “would certainly consider that.” The president framed the potential operation around Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents hail from Cuba. “He (Rubio) would love to do that,” Trump said, adding that he himself would like to see it happen.
He also repeated a disputed electoral claim, telling the Salem News Channel host that he got 94 percent of the Cuban vote in Florida. Election data puts his actual share at 68 percent in 2024. Trump has leaned on that voting bloc in past remarks, calling Cuban Americans “tremendous people” who backed him strongly.
Overall, Trump has escalated his rhetoric on Cuba for months. In March, he said he expected the “honor of taking Cuba” as the island’s power grid failed. On Monday, he predicted Cuba “will fall fairly soon” and pledged humanitarian support afterward. His administration has squeezed the island with a de facto oil blockade, new sanctions, and an arrest warrant for former leader Raul Castro.
Not all Cuban American supporters remain on board. Immigration lawyer Ismael Labrador, who voted for Trump, said the administration’s ICE raids left him feeling “blindsided.” Sharing, “We never thought that he was going to go after everybody. This isn’t what I voted for.” Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar also publicly warned that enforcement efforts had “gone too far” and that Hispanic voters felt “betrayed.”
