,President Donald Trump said he would “certainly consider” using military force in Cuba and that he wants to “get Cuba done before I leave.” He made the remarks during a phone interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on the Salem News Channel, as reported by Reality Tea. Trump said his team is watching the island “very closely” as his administration deals with the ongoing war with Iran.
When Hewitt asked whether he would support using “a little bit” of military force to end communist rule on the island, the president said he “would certainly consider that.” Trump pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents are from Cuba, as a key figure in any potential operation. He said Rubio “would love to do that” and added that he would like to see it happen as well.
This is the first time Trump has attached a timeline to the idea of intervention in Cuba. His current term ends in January 2029, and he has spent months ramping up his rhetoric about the island.
He has been talking about Cuba all year
In March, Trump said he expected to have the honor of taking Cuba as the island dealt with power grid failures. His administration has also kept up pressure on the country through a de facto oil blockade, new sanctions, and an arrest warrant for former leader Raul Castro.
Trump has predicted Cuba could fall soon several times this year. Earlier this week, he said Cuba “will fall fairly soon” and promised to provide humanitarian support once that happens.
During the radio appearance, Trump also repeated a claim about his support among Cuban American voters, telling Hewitt he received 94 percent of the Cuban vote in Florida. The BBC reported that his actual share in 2024 was 68 percent. Trump has frequently pointed to the voting bloc in his comments, often describing Cuban Americans as tremendous people who gave him strong backing.
Some of those voters have raised concerns about his immigration crackdown. Ismael Labrador, a Miami immigration lawyer who voted for Trump, said in the same report that he felt “blindsided” by the administration after he was unable to stop his cousin’s deportation to Cuba. “We never thought that he was going to go after everybody. This isn’t what I voted for,” he said.
Republican Representative Maria Elvira Salazar has voiced similar concerns. In a campaign ad posted on X, she told Trump that some of his immigration enforcement efforts have “gone too far” and said Hispanic voters who backed him now feel betrayed.
Published: Nov 13, 2026 10:15 am