President Trump claims Cuba is “ready to fall” following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, disrupting Havana’s economic and security support from Caracas.
President Donald Trump expressed on Sunday that Cuba is “ready to fall” after U.S. forces successfully captured Nicolás Maduro, the leader of Venezuela. This operation has severed a crucial economic and security lifeline that Cuba relied upon.
During a press gaggle aboard Air Force One, Trump stated that Cuba’s future is now closely linked to Maduro’s ousting and the subsequent decline of Venezuela’s capacity to support its allies in the region. When asked if he was contemplating U.S. military action in Cuba, Trump responded, “I think it’s just going to fall. I don’t think we need any action. Looks like it’s going down. It’s going down for the count.”
The president’s comments followed the dramatic capture of Maduro and his wife on charges related to a narco-terrorism conspiracy. This bold operation has sent ripples through allied governments in Latin America, prompting Cuban officials to call for rallies in support of Venezuela while accusing the U.S. of infringing on their sovereignty.
U.S. officials have indicated that Cuban security forces played a pivotal role in maintaining Maduro’s grip on power. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that Cuban operatives effectively managed Venezuela’s internal intelligence and security operations, including personally guarding Maduro and monitoring loyalty within his government. “It was Cubans that guarded Maduro,” Rubio emphasized. “He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards.”
On Sunday, Cuba’s government confirmed that 32 Cuban military and police officers were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela, marking the first official death toll reported by Havana. State media stated that these officers had been deployed at the request of Caracas and announced two days of national mourning in response to the casualties.
While returning to Washington, Trump confirmed the Cuban casualties, stating, “A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday. There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”
In his remarks, Trump also directed criticism toward Colombia, accusing its leadership of exacerbating drug trafficking into the United States. “Colombia is very sick, run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States,” he said, adding that the country “is not going to be doing it for a very long time.”
He suggested that the U.S. is prepared to take action against narco-trafficking networks operating by land and sea, referencing recent interdictions as evidence of this commitment.
Additionally, Trump revisited his long-standing interest in Greenland, asserting that the Arctic territory is vital to U.S. national security amid increasing Russian and Chinese activity in the region. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security,” he stated. “Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place.”
Trump has framed the capture of Maduro as part of a broader strategy to reassert U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere, invoking the Monroe Doctrine and warning that hostile regimes can no longer depend on each other for survival. Maduro is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in New York on Monday, according to Fox News.