Trump, Rubio Warn Cuba After Maduro Seizure

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio escalated warnings toward Cuba on Saturday, tying Havana to the collapse of Venezuela under Nicolas Maduro and signaling that the administration is prepared to expand pressure following Maduro’s apprehension, a move with potential implications across the region.

Trump and Rubio used a post-announcement press appearance Saturday to draw a direct line between Venezuela’s unraveling and Cuba’s role in propping up the Maduro regime, framing Havana as a failing state whose influence now faces renewed scrutiny from Washington.

The exchange came after Trump’s public remarks on Venezuela’s future and the fate of Nicolas Maduro.

A reporter asked whether Maduro’s apprehension and the attack on Venezuela carried a message for Cuba and its president, Miguel Diaz-Canel.

Trump responded by portraying Cuba as a system in deep decline and suggested the administration’s focus extends beyond Venezuela.

"Well, Cuba is an interesting case. Cuba is, you know, not doing very well right now. That system is not been a very good one for Cuba. The people there have suffered for many, many years. And I think Cuba is going to be something we'll end up talking about because Cuba is a failing nation right now, very badly failing nation. And we want to help the people. It's very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we want to also help the people that were forced out of Cuba and living in this country," Trump said.

Rubio followed with sharper language, arguing that Cuba’s internal collapse and external operations have made it a central factor in Venezuela’s crisis.

"Well, I mean, I just gave you a statement a few minutes ago about, you know, when the president speaks, you should take him seriously. Suffice it to say, you know, Cuba is a disaster. It's run by incompetent, senile men and in some cases, not senile, but incompetent nonetheless," Rubio said.

"They have no economy. It's in total collapse," he added.

"And by the way, you know, they were, you know, all of the guards that helped protect Maduro. This is well known. Their whole spy agency was full of Cubans. I mean, it's amazing this poor island took over Venezuela, in some cases. One of the biggest problems Venezuelans have is they have to declare Independence from Cuba. They tried to basically colonize it from a security standpoint," Rubio said.

Rubio added that Cuban leadership should be paying close attention to Trump’s recent actions and statements.

"So yeah, look, I lived in Havana and if I was in the government. I'd be concerned at least a little bit."

When it comes to oil, "the president already announced a week ago that anything that's sanctioned, sanctioned oil, it's not going to be allowed to get there [to Cuba]."

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