Trump Says “I Want to Get Cuba Done” and Hints at Military Action Before Leaving Office

US President Donald Trump has put a deadline on his Cuba ambitions. On Thursday, he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he wants to “get Cuba done” before he leaves office. Hewitt asked if he would send in the military to free the island from communist rule. Trump said he would certainly consider it. It is the first time he has put a timeline on a possible operation.

Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio would play a key role in the effort. He then pointed out that Rubio’s parents are from Cuba and said the secretary would love the job. The president called the island a failed nation that Washington has been watching closely. He also said he wanted to act for Cubans who were treated badly and later came to America. Trump also claimed he took 94 percent of the Cuban vote in Florida.

From “Honor” in March to a Deadline in November: How Trump’s Cuba Talk Has Hardened

Thursday’s interview did not come out of nowhere. In March, Trump told reporters that he expected the honor of taking Cuba. He added that he could do anything he wanted with it, whether he freed it or took it. By September, at the UN General Assembly, he was asking for fundamental change on the island. Then on Monday, he predicted Cuba would fall fairly soon.

The same Monday briefing carried a softer note. Trump called Cuba a failing communist and socialist nation. However, he said the United States would help it on humanitarian grounds. Rubio has pushed a similar line as just last month, he told Fox News host Sean Hannity that Cuba has already fallen. He said that the revolution has been dead for 20 years already and the economy barely functions.

An Oil Blockade, Fresh Sanctions and Midterm Losses Frame the Cuba Question

Pressure on Havana has built up, since the operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was a key Cuban ally. Washington then imposed an oil blockade on the island. The blockade knocked out Cuba’s electrical grid and set off a humanitarian crisis. Earlier this month, Washington also sanctioned ten people and entities tied to Cuba’s government, military and oil sector. The State Department accused the ruling elite of hoarding energy, shipping and technology resources. Meanwhile, ordinary Cubans live with blackouts and shortages.

Ultimately, Trump’s latest remarks show how quickly Cuba has moved from rhetoric toward a possible goal with a deadline. He spoke a week after Republicans suffered heavy midterm losses. Those losses were driven partly by the unpopular Iran war, which has raised fuel and food prices. Trump has not announced a plan, so it is unclear what “getting Cuba done” would involve, so the path from words to action remains vague. Even so, the blockade, new sanctions and a stated deadline have raised the stakes for Havana and Washington.

Web Resources on US-Cuba tensions

1. Politico : Trump: ‘I want to get Cuba done’ before leaving office.
2. The Hill : Trump says he wants to ‘get Cuba done’ before leaving office.
3. The Independent : Trump already eyeing another war before he leaves office.
4. Academic Block : US-Cuba Relations Explained: Cold War History, Sanctions and Stalled Talks.
5. First Post : ‘I want to get Cuba done’: Trump hints at using military force against Havana before leaving office.