Trump Teases A ‘friendly Takeover’ Of Cuba

President Donald Trump suggested on Friday a possible “friendly takeover” of Cuba, adding that the country is in a “big deal of trouble” economically.

“They have no money. They have no anything right now,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “Maybe we'll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”

Trump’s remarks hinted at a softening of the U.S. approach to Cuba.

Instead of harsh forecasts about regime change, top Trump aides have lately emphasized first having economic reforms in Cuba. This comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio has engaged in conversations with Cuban representatives about the future of the island country.

In recent interviews and public remarks, Rubio has spoken at length about the failures of Cuba’s economic model and making moves that “eventually” include political changes.

“Cuba’s fundamental problem is that it has no economy,” he told Bloomberg News in mid-February. Earlier this week, he said while in Saint Kitts and Nevis that Cuba “needs to change. And it doesn’t have to change all at once.“

“If they want to make those dramatic reforms that open the space for both economic and eventually political freedom for the people of Cuba, obviously the United States would love to see that. We’d be helpful,” he added in those remarks.

Trump’s talk of a “friendly takeover” also was reminiscent of how he said the U.S. would be running Venezuela after it captured that regime’s former leader, Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. has since then kept a close handle on what’s left of Maduro’s regime, which is now led by Delcy Rodriguez. Trump is pleased enough with how Rodriguez is managing the situation that he bragged about “our new friend and partner, Venezuela” in his State of the Union address.

Trump’s comments about Cuba come after Cuban border troopskilled four Cubans from the U.S. and wounded six others during a confrontation Wednesday that Cuban authorities called an attempted terrorist attack. U.S. lawmakers from Floridahave used the incident to call for regime change. All members were “Cuban residents of the United States,” the Cuban Interior Ministry said following the incident.

Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) said “We need that regime to go,” after the attack. “The regime is causing this humanitarian crisis in Cuba. And the faster they go, the faster that we can help the Cuban people.”

The State Department on Thursday said that two people who participated in the confrontation were U.S. citizens — one of whom was killed during the standoff.

On Friday, Trump said that many Cuban exiles would like to return home and are pleased with the pressure he is placing on the country’s regime.

“Something could — I think very positive for the people that were expelled or worse from Cuba that live here,” he said. “We have people living here that want to go back to Cuba. They're very happy with what's going on."

Since taking office, the president has taken a hard line on Cuba, tightening travel and trade restrictions, reinstating Cuba’s designation on terrorism lists, and intensifying economic pressures like blocking access to Venezuelan oil — a move described by humanitarian experts as deepening a humanitarian and fuel crisis on the island.

Earlier this month, Trump said that Mexico, the largest supplier of oil to Cuba,would stop sending oil to the Caribbean nation, but did not elaborate.

In January, Trump said “Cuba will be failing pretty soon” due to declining oil supplies and tightening U.S. sanctions, threatening tariffs on any countries supplying oil to the island.