President Donald Trump said Cuba is “very close to failing” on Tuesday, according to an alert transmitted on major news wires quoting Trump speaking to reporters at the White House.
Trump did not elaborate on the comment, but it reflects longstanding criticism by Trump and his administration of Cuba’s communist government and its economic system, according to multiple White House statements since his return to office in January.
Cuban leaders have repeatedly rejected claims that the government is failing, with President Miguel Díaz-Canel and senior officials blaming U.S. sanctions for the island’s economic crisis and arguing that Washington is attempting to “suffocate” Cuba economically, according to recent public statements by the Cuban presidency and the Foreign Ministry.
Cuba is facing its most severe economic crisis in decades, marked by shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, and the country routinely experiences rolling blackouts, according to acknowledgments by Cuban officials and reporting by international aid organizations.
The Cuban economy contracted sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic and has failed to rebound amid declining tourism revenue, reduced remittances, and chronic infrastructure failures, according to data from Cuba’s National Office of Statistics and Information cited by international economists.
Trump has repeatedly blamed socialism for Cuba’s economic collapse, saying during a 2024 campaign event in Florida that “communism has done nothing but destroy Cuba,” according to video of the remarks released by his campaign.
During his first term, Trump regularly described Cuba as a “failed communist state,” a phrase he has continued to use since returning to office, according to transcripts published by the White House.
The Cuban government has argued that U.S. sanctions are primarily responsible for the crisis, while U.S. officials have countered that decades of central planning, corruption, and political repression are the root causes, according to statements from the State Department and senior administration officials.
Cuba has also seen rare but significant anti-government protests in recent years, which were met with mass arrests and long prison sentences, according to documentation from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
The island is experiencing a historic population exodus, with more than 400,000 Cubans migrating to the United States over the past two fiscal years, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data cited in congressional testimony.
Trump has linked instability in Cuba to broader regional migration pressures, saying in a January foreign policy address that “failed socialist regimes drive people out of their countries,” according to White House transcripts.
The Cuban government had not publicly responded to Trump’s latest comment as of Tuesday, and state media on the island did not immediately reference the wire-reported remark.
U.S.–Cuba relations remain frozen under Trump, who has maintained strict sanctions and sharply limited diplomatic engagement, according to current State Department policy guidance.
Trump offered no indication on Tuesday of whether new U.S. actions would follow his statement about Cuba’s condition.
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