President Donald Trump has maintained that Cuba is “ready to fall,” arguing that the island nation can no longer survive without political, security and financial backing from Venezuela following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by United States forces.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, January 4, Trump raised the possibility of further U.S. military interventions in Latin America, and suggested Colombia and Mexico could also face military action if they do not reduce the flow of illicit drugs to the United States.
“Operation Colombia sounds good to me,” Trump said. He also said that Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela, “looks like it’s ready to fall” on its own without U.S. military action.
The Head of State said Havana’s long-standing reliance on Caracas had come to an abrupt end, leaving Cuba exposed and isolated. “Cuba always survived because of Venezuela,” he said. “Now they won’t have that money coming in. They won’t have the income coming in.”
Sharp remarks about Cuba
Trump suggested that Washington may not need to take direct action against Cuba, predicting internal collapse instead. “I think it’s just going to fall,” he said. “I don’t think we need any action. Looks like it’s going down.”
Also Read: Trump Announces Capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro
On his part, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who was accompanying the President, told reporters to “just wait for Cuba”, which he said, “is a communist dictatorship that has killed priests and nuns; they prey on their own people.”
“Their days are numbered. We are going to wake up one day, I hope in (20)26, in our backyard, we are going to have allies in these countries doing business with America, not narcoterrorist dictators killing Americans,” Lindsey said.
Their remarks came a day after U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife in an operation that U.S. officials say dismantled Venezuela’s top leadership and exposed the depth of Cuban involvement in the country’s security apparatus. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuban operatives effectively controlled Venezuela’s intelligence and internal security services and were responsible for protecting Maduro.
“He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards,” Rubio said. “He had Cuban bodyguards.”
Cuba’s government confirmed on Sunday that 32 Cuban military and police officers were killed during the operation, marking the first official death toll released by Havana. Cuban state media said the personnel had been deployed in Venezuela at the request of Caracas and announced two days of national mourning.
Trump acknowledged the Cuban casualties, saying there were no U.S. deaths. “A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday,” he said. “There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”
In Havana, officials accused the United States of violating Venezuelan sovereignty and hastily organized rallies in support of Venezuela. The Cuban government also issued a statement condemning what it called “cowardly U.S. aggression” and warned regional governments to remain on alert.
Trump says he wants to help the people of Cuba
Trump had earlier signaled that Cuba would become a focus of his administration following Maduro’s capture. Speaking on Saturday from his Mar-a-Lago residence, he described the communist-run island as a “failing nation” and said its situation mirrored that of Venezuela prior to the operation.
“We want to help the people in Cuba,” Trump said, adding that Cubans on the island have suffered for decades under a system he described as broken.
Also Read: Venezuela Receives Free Starlink Internet After Trump ‘Invasion’
Rubio, a Cuban American and a leading advocate of tougher U.S. sanctions against Havana, issued a blunt warning to Cuba’s leadership. “If I lived in Havana and were in the government, I’d be concerned,” he said. “When the President speaks, you should take him seriously.”
Rubio accused Cuba of using Venezuela as a security colony, saying Cuban agents had embedded themselves deeply within Venezuelan institutions. “One of the biggest problems Venezuelans have is they have to declare independence from Cuba,” he said.
Maduro is in a New York detention center awaiting a Monday court appearance on drug charges. His capture by the U.S. forces has sparked deep uncertainty about what is next for the oil-rich South American nation.
Trump said that rather than pushing for immediate elections to install a new government, his administration will work with remaining members of the Maduro regime to clamp down on drug trafficking and overhaul its oil industry.
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