At a Glance
- US captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife in an overnight operation.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Cuba that it is “in a lot of trouble.”
- President Trump said Cuba is a “failing nation” and may face U.S. action.
- Why it matters: The U.S. is signaling a potential new campaign against Cuba after the Maduro operation, raising regional tensions.
Following the U.S. overnight operation that seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Washington officials have signaled a shift in policy toward Cuba, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio issuing a stark warning on NBC’s Meet the Press and President Trump outlining a potential new campaign against the island nation.
Rubio’s Warning to Cuba
On Meet the Press, Rubio told moderator Kristen Welker that Cuba is “in a lot of trouble.” He added that the Cuban regime had been “propping up Maduro” and that the U.S. was “not big fans” of Cuba.
Marco Rubio stated:
> “I’m not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard,”
> “But I don’t think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime, who, by the way, are the ones that were propping up Maduro.”
Rubio also said Cuban officials guarded Maduro, not Venezuelan bodyguards, and that Cuban bodyguards handled internal intelligence and anti-traitor surveillance.
- Cubans guarded Maduro, not Venezuelan bodyguards.
- Cuban bodyguards managed internal intelligence and anti-traitor spying.
- All these roles were performed by Cubans.
Trump’s Latin America Strategy
In a Saturday press conference, Trump compared Cuba to Venezuela, calling Cuba a “failing nation” and said the U.S. might target its government.
President Trump said:
> “I think Cuba is going to be something we’ll end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now, a very badly failing nation, and we want to help the people.”
> “It’s very similar [to Venezuela] 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 are living in this country.”
He also referenced the Monroe Doctrine, called its successor the “Donroe doctrine,” and criticized Colombian President Gustavo Petro for “cocaine mills” and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for allowing drug carteles.
- Trump cited the Monroe Doctrine and called its successor the “Donroe doctrine.”
- He criticized Colombian President Gustavo Petro for “cocaine mills.”
- He accused Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum of allowing drug cartels.
Cuban Response
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced the U.S. operation as “state terrorism” and called for international reaction.
Miguel Díaz-Canel wrote on X:
> “#Cuba denounces and urgently demands the reaction of the international community against the criminal attack by the U.S. on #Venezuela. Our #ZonaDePaz [Zone of Peace] is being brutally assaulted. State terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America,”
An official Cuban statement also condemned U.S. aggression as a violation of international law and the UN Charter, calling it a “dangerous escalation of the sustained campaign of war waged for years by the United States against that sister nation.”
Key Takeaways
- The U.S. has signaled a potential new campaign against Cuba after the Maduro operation.
- Cuban officials have condemned the operation as “state terrorism” and called for global condemnation.
- Tensions between Washington and Havana are likely to rise in the coming weeks.
The U.S. has signaled a potential new campaign against Cuba, while Cuban officials have condemned the operation as aggression, setting the stage for heightened tensions in the region.
