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President Donald Trump has asserted that Cuba’s communist regime is “on the verge of collapse” following the apprehension and detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.
Addressing journalists aboard Air Force One on late Sunday, the president characterized Maduro’s apprehension as a pivotal moment in the Western Hemisphere, cautioning that Cuba can no longer depend on Caracas for oil, financial support, or security.
“Cuba is ready to fall,” he said. “I don’t know if they’re going to hold out.”
When asked whether the White House was preparing military action against the country, Trump dismissed the need: “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. You ever watch a fight? They go down for the count, and Cuba looks like it’s going down.”
The remarks followed after Saturday’s operation that led to the apprehension of Maduro and his spouse, Cilia Flores, who now confront federal charges in New York associated with an alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Subsequent to the operation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Cuban operatives directly safeguarded the beleaguered leader. Cuba announced on Sunday that 32 military and police personnel were killed during the operation, declaring two days of national mourning.
Trump confirmed the reports when speaking to reporters on Air Force One: “A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday. There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”
Also on the flight, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) praised Trump’s intervention and also warned that Cuba’s “days are numbered.”
WATCH:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Cuban leaders should be concerned following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela and the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro.
Rubio said the operation and subsequent developments could signal a shift in focus toward Cuba under President Donald Trump’s administration, Fox News reported.
Cuba has long maintained a significant presence in Venezuela, including intelligence agents and security personnel, amid close ties between Havana and Caracas.
Rubio said Venezuela’s intelligence agency was “basically full of Cubans” and that Maduro’s security detail also included Cuban personnel.
“One of the biggest problems Venezuelans have is they have to declare independence from Cuba,” Rubio said during a news conference detailing the operation.
“They tried to basically colonize it from a security standpoint,” he added.
Rubio described Cuba as “a disaster” run by leaders he characterized as incompetent.
The Secretary of State has repeatedly labeled Cuba a dictatorship and a failed state.
“If I lived in Havana, and I was in the government, I’d be concerned — at least a little bit,” Rubio said.
Trump said Cuba is a topic his administration will eventually address, calling the country “a very badly failing nation.”
“And we want to help the people,” Trump said.
“It’s very similar in the sense that we want to help the people in Cuba, but we also want to help the people who were forced out of Cuba and are living in this country,” he added.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into custody by U.S. forces during the operation and transported aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
The charges include narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States.
Venezuela has been serving as a hub for drug smuggling and dangerous cartels such as Tren de Aragua and the Maduro-tied Cartel de los Soles.
