President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration is in communication with the Cuban government and suggested the possibility of a “friendly takeover” of the island nation. The remarks came during a press gaggle on the South Lawn as the president departed the White House for Corpus Christi, Texas.
“The Cuban Government is talking with us. They’re in a big deal of trouble,” president trump said. He pointed to Cuba’s economic distress and added, “maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba. We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba.”
President Trump also noted that some Cuban-Americans in the United States would welcome changes on the island and are encouraged by recent developments. His comments come at a time of heightened tensions between Washington and Havana.
The statement follows a deadly maritime confrontation earlier this week. According to Cuba’s state-run newspaper Granma, Cuban authorities engaged a Florida-registered speedboat in a shootout near the island’s northern coast. The Cuban government claimed four individuals were killed and at least six detained.
Cuban officials described the passengers as “terrorists” attempting to carry out hostile acts against the government. Some of those named had reportedly appeared on a government list of alleged extremists that critics argue includes political dissidents and activists.
The Castro regime has faced longstanding accusations of using lethal force against civilians attempting to flee or challenge the communist government. The United States has not confirmed Cuba’s account of the latest incident.
Marco Rubio said Wednesday that American officials would independently verify the facts. Rubio cautioned that much of the publicly available information originated from Cuban authorities and emphasized that U.S. officials would assess the situation directly.
President Trump’s remarks underscore his administration’s continued hardline stance toward communist regimes in the Western Hemisphere. Since returning to office, president trump has signaled a renewed focus on confronting adversarial governments in the region while supporting democratic reforms.
Whether the president’s “friendly takeover” comment reflects serious diplomatic negotiations or rhetorical pressure remains unclear. The White House has not released additional details about the nature of discussions with Havana.
