US President Donald Trump on Tuesday vowed imminent action against Cuba’s socialist government, as his moves against the island plunge the US’s longtime adversary deeper into crisis.
A day after Trump’s sanctions on Venezuela, including halting key oil exports to Cuba, contributed to Cuba’s latest nationwide blackout, both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration sees the island nation as the next country where the US can expand its influence.
“Cuba is in very bad shape right now,” Trump said.
“And we will soon do something with Cuba,” he said.
Until recently, Trump’s comments on the change in Cuba were considered significant. But they come after his administration’s military offensive in Venezuela that ousted then-President Nicolas Maduro and the launch of a U.S. military strike against Iran.
US sanctions and economic pressure have fueled the misery many Cubans are experiencing.
Pedro Ramos, a 75-year-old retired mechanic who shares a modest apartment with his wife in Old Havana, was boiling three pieces of chicken in an attempt to save them from spoiling in a power outage.
“I want to see if we can save some food,” he said. “Two people over 70 live here. … It’s scary.”
The Trump administration is looking for President Miguel Díaz-Canel to leave as the U.S. continues to negotiate with the Cuban government, according to a U.S. official and sources familiar with negotiations between Washington and Havana. No details have been given on who the administration wants to take over.
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Unlike revolutionary founding father Raul Castro and his family, many Cubans do not believe that Diaz-Canel holds much power in Cuba.
With little reliable information coming out of Havana or Washington, experts are watching closely for what’s in the works.
“While some pieces of this story are coming out, don’t add to me,” said Michael Bustamante, a Cuba expert and assistant professor of history at the University of Miami. “I can’t figure out what the end game is for either side.”
Power was slowly being restored to hospitals and some homes on Tuesday afternoon, but officials warned that the crumbling power grid could fail again.
The government blames its woes on the US energy embargo after Trump warned in January of tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba.
Rubio, who is of Cuban heritage, said the island “has a political and governmental system that doesn’t work and an economy. They can’t fix it.”
A Cuban official said Monday that Cuba is open to trade with U.S. companies, but such promises have been made before.
“So they have to change dramatically,” Rubio said. “What they announced yesterday was not dramatic enough. It’s not going to be fixed.”
The Trump administration is demanding that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Trump has raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba.”
Although Cuba produces 40% of its petroleum and produces its own energy, it is insufficient to meet demand as its aging electric grid continues to degrade.
Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines said in X that the island had restored power to the western town of Pinar del Rio and the southeastern province of Holguin, and that some “microsystems” had begun operating in various areas.
By late Monday, state-owned media reported that power had been restored to 5% of residents in the capital, Havana, representing about 42,000 customers.
City dwellers are concerned about food spoilage and trying to simply exercise in homes without lights.
“The power cuts are driving me crazy,” said 48-year-old Dalba Obido. “Last night I fell down a 27-step flight of stairs. Now I need surgery on my jaw. I fell because the lights went out.”
Havana resident Tomás David Velázquez Felipe, 61, said the relentless stops make Cubans think they should just pack up and leave the island. “The less we eat the perishables,” he said. “Our people are too old to sustain grief.”
Seung Min Kim, Amer Madani and Will Weissert contributed from Washington.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
(tags to translate)Cuba(T)Donald Trump(T)Marco Rubio(T)World
