FORT MYERS, Fla. – President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that U.S. warships returning from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could stage a show of force off the coast of Cuba, marking a significant escalation in his administration’s rhetoric toward the island nation.
Speaking at a campaign rally in South Florida just days ahead of the midterm elections, Trump revived the idea of military posturing near Cuba in response to a shouted question from the crowd.
“We’ll do a little stopover,” Trump said. “Actually, what we’re going to do with Cuba is, we’re going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands. And then we’re going to send Secretary of State Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal.”
The remarks come as voters grapple with the economic fallout of the U.S. war in Iran, which has driven up costs for fuel and groceries. By targeting Cuba, Trump is returning to a theme that has gained traction among his base—that the island nation represents an unfinished national security challenge.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a fierce critic of the Cuban government, echoed the President’s aggressive stance shortly after the rally. In a social media post, Rubio declared that “now is the time” for action, urging those seeking change in Cuba to “seize this opportunity… through a discrete partnership with the CIA.”
The administration has increasingly framed Cuba as a primary threat, citing the island’s ties to foreign adversaries and its status as a base of operations against American interests. Tensions have simmered for months; earlier this year, the administration announced criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, and the two nations have frequently clashed at the United Nations.
Despite the bellicose rhetoric, the diplomatic reality remains complex. While the administration has engaged in talks with Cuban officials, those meetings have reportedly yielded little progress, leading to further rounds of economic sanctions. Trump previously signaled that he might not need the military to achieve his goals, citing the fact that Cuba’s economy is “failing very badly.”
Cuba has been mired in a severe economic and energy crisis since 2020, resulting in widespread blackouts, food shortages, and massive migration flows.
While the White House has publicly claimed it hopes to resolve differences with Havana peacefully, the coupling of military “stopovers” with clandestine operational calls from the Secretary of State suggests a hardening of policy. Whether this represents a genuine shift in military strategy or a campaign-trail tactic designed to mobilize voters in the crucial swing state of Florida remains to be seen.
For now, the administration continues to position itself as the one finally prepared to dismantle the socialist regime, a goal that has eluded previous U.S. presidents for decades.
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