Trump Predicts Cuba’s Communist Regime Could Fall, Will Put Rubio On It
President Donald Trump said this week that Cuba’s communist government could collapse “pretty soon.” Trump told CNN anchor Dana Bash that the island nation is nearing a breaking point and indicated he plans to send Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take the lead on the issue.
According to Bash, who said she spoke with Trump about multiple global flashpoints, the president stated, “Cuba is gonna fall pretty soon,” adding that the United States has “plenty of time, but Cuba is ready.” Bash also reported that Trump told her he would soon “put Marco over there.”
Rubio, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba before Fidel Castro consolidated power, has long advocated for democratic change on the island. As secretary of state, he now appears poised to play a central role in any U.S. diplomatic push as Cuba faces mounting economic and political strain.
Cuba is grappling with a severe economic crisis marked by soaring inflation, food shortages and widespread fuel scarcity. A major blackout across the western half of the country this week underscored the deepening energy emergency. Analysts have warned that Cuba could exhaust its remaining fuel reserves within weeks if new supplies are not secured.
The situation worsened after the United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and disrupted Venezuela’s oil export network. For years, Caracas provided Havana with subsidized oil shipments. Following the U.S. action, Venezuelan shipments reportedly stopped, and U.S. forces have intercepted other vessels attempting to deliver fuel to the island, according to prior reporting by The New York Times. Cuban officials are believed to have only a limited fuel supply remaining before more prolonged nationwide outages occur.
A United Nations official recently described conditions in Cuba as “becoming fragile,” citing deteriorating food security and infrastructure breakdowns.
Trump has suggested that any change in Cuba could occur without direct military intervention. “The Cuban government is talking with us. They’re in a big deal of trouble, as you know. They have no money, no anything right now,” Trump said at the White House. “Maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba. We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba.”
Details of what that would entail remain unclear. Latin America analysts say the administration may be exploring a negotiated transition that could involve economic reforms, security guarantees or political concessions from Havana.
Reports indicate Rubio has engaged in discussions involving figures close to Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former Cuban leader who still exerts significant influence over the military. Raúl Castro’s control of the armed forces is widely seen as the backbone of the regime’s stability.
Experts suggest that potential areas of negotiation could include the release of political prisoners, expanded cooperation with the United States on migration and counter-narcotics enforcement, compensation mechanisms for U.S. companies whose assets were expropriated during the revolution, and assurances that Cuba will not deepen security ties with U.S. adversaries such as Russia or China.
At the same time, some Republicans are calling for full regime change rather than incremental reform. Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Fox News, “Cuba’s next, they’re gonna fall, this communist dictatorship in Cuba, their days are numbered.” Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, who was born in Cuba, posted on X that the regime “MUST BE DESTROYED & RELEGATED TO THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY!”
Trump has taken a more measured public posture, suggesting that sequencing foreign policy actions is important. “We could do them all at the same time but bad things happen… you do them all too fast, bad things happen,” he said, referring to simultaneous geopolitical operations in multiple regions.
Cuba’s strategic proximity to the United States — roughly 90 miles from Florida — has made it a focal point of U.S. foreign policy since the Cold War, including during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Ilhan Omar Guest Arrested After Demonstrating During Trump’s SOTU
One of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s invited guests was arrested Tuesday night after demonstrating during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, according to U.S. Capitol Police. Aliya M. Rahman, 43, of Minneapolis, was taken into custody after she stood and refused repeated orders to sit down in the House gallery.
“All State of the Union tickets clearly explain that demonstrating is prohibited,” Capitol Police said in a statement. “At approximately 10:07 p.m., a person in the House Gallery started demonstrating during tonight’s State of the Union Address. The guest was told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders,” The New York Times reported.
“It is illegal to disrupt the Congress and demonstrate in the Congressional Buildings, so 43-year-old Aliya M. Rahman of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was arrested for D.C. Code §10-503.16 — Unlawful Conduct, Disruption of Congress,” the statement added.
Rahman was later issued a citation release, which police described as routine.
Omar, D-Minn., invited Rahman as one of four guests attending the address. The Minnesota Democrat has been critical of Trump’s immigration enforcement policies and previously described Rahman as someone seeking accountability for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Rahman made headlines in January after being detained by ICE officers in Minneapolis. Federal officials said she ignored repeated commands to move her vehicle away from an active enforcement scene and interfered with agents. Authorities said she was arrested after refusing to comply and engaging in obstructive conduct.
Rahman and her attorney have disputed that account.
In a statement to Newsweek following Tuesday’s arrest, her attorney, Alexa Van Brunt, said Rahman was targeted.
“Aliya Rahman was targeted at the State of the Union last night,” Van Brunt said. “After standing up in silence during the speech, Aliya was quickly taken away and arrested for ‘unlawful conduct’ and released just before 4 a.m. today. There is nothing unlawful about standing in silence and this is a blatant abuse of power. She was not disruptive or disrespectful. She was not holding a sign, making gestures, or wearing protest gear. She was simply standing in silence.”
Capitol Police said demonstrating of any kind is prohibited inside the chamber during a joint session of Congress.
Rahman previously told MS Now that attending the address felt necessary.
“I almost don’t feel like it was a choice,” she said. “I’m just so painfully aware that what happened to me is a very common experience in this country, except for the part where I got out and I got to come back to my community.”
“Honestly, the emotional toll of it is the reason that I think it’s still important to come be in front of people who are happy this happened to me or think I deserve worse,” she added.
The arrest came as Trump used the address to emphasize border security and immigration enforcement.
Rep. Omar responded to the arrest.
“My guest, Aliya Rahman, stood up silently in the gallery during the president’s speech for a short period of time, part of which other guests were also standing. For that, she was forcibly removed, despite warning officers about her injured shoulders and ultimately charged with ‘Unlawful Conduct,’” she said in a press release on her official website.
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“Reports indicate she was aggressively handled until someone intervened to secure medical attention. She was taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment and later booked at the United States Capitol Police headquarters, the representative said.
“The heavy-handed response to a peaceful guest sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy. I am calling for a full explanation of why this arrest occurred, she said.
