U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he believes “Cuba is coming to an end” and that he will have “the honor of taking over Cuba.”
The American leader appears to have been referring to the “end” of Cuba’s current communist regime, which has historically been in conflict with the United States.
“I mean, take it or take it. Think I can do whatever I want. You want to know the truth,” the president added.
Trump’s comments coincided with the complete collapse of Cuba’s power grid on Monday, which left millions without power. The U.S. blockade of foreign oil supplies left Cuba without oil shipments for three months, leaving Cubans facing chronic power shortages and frequent blackouts.
La Unión Eléctrica de Cuba, Cuba’s national energy supplier, posted to
Read more: Severe power outages have left millions in crisis-hit Cuba.
Regarding President Trump’s prediction that Cuba’s collapse was imminent, Jose Luis Darías Suárez, Cuban Consul General in Italy, said this: Latin America Report He said he was unaware of Trump’s recent comments, but said, “In 67 years of revolution, no American president has ever been able to do what (he) wants with regard to Cuba.”
“Rather, they have taken various measures, especially economic pressure, to crush the Cuban revolution. The revolution remains in power thanks to the support of the masses, many of whom undoubtedly support the revolution.”
However, the current economic crisis has contributed to growing political opposition to the Cuban government. Protests, once rare in Cuba, have grown in intensity and scope.
In the main city of Morón, protesters also ransacked the local offices of the ruling Cuban Communist Party (PCC) in a sign of growing dissatisfaction with the island’s leadership.
Trump’s warning to Cuba contrasts with the conciliatory tone of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who said on Friday that the Cuban and U.S. governments were engaging in formal negotiations to find a “potential solution to the bilateral differences” between the two traditional enemies.
But such negotiations could also require Cuba to make comprehensive political changes in exchange for the United States easing economic sanctions against the island. that new york times and miami herald The U.S. government sees ousting Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel from power as a key element of future negotiations.
that new york times If Cuba complies, the United States will likely allow Cubans to choose their next leader instead of appointing someone with U.S. support, he said.
But Trump’s recent comments suggest a negotiated solution is not guaranteed. The Trump administration’s arrest of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei serve as reminders that the United States is willing to use force to remove heads of state like Miguel Diaz-Canel that it perceives as hostile.
Featured Image: Trump with military officers at MacDill Air Force Base in 2017.
Image source: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff via Wikimedia Commons
patent: Creative Commons License
