President Donald Trump dropped a bombshell Friday in a phone interview with CNN’s Dana Bash — and it wasn’t about Iran. After boasting about America’s military performance, Trump casually turned the conversation to another foreign target: Cuba.
In a call meant to tout U.S. success in the war with Iran, Trump unprompted declared that Cuba “is going to fall pretty soon” — suggesting Washington could soon be setting its sights on regime change there too.
“Cuba is gonna fall pretty soon, by the way… they want to make a deal so badly,” Trump said, according to CNN’s reporting of the interview. “They want to make a deal, and so I’m going to put Marco (Rubio) over there and we’ll see how that works out.”
Trump emphasized that the immediate priority is still the ongoing conflict with Iran — the military campaign that exploded into life when U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes earlier this month. But he made clear that Havana is on his radar. “We’re really focused on this one right now… but Cuba’s ready — after 50 years,” he said.
He even took credit for Cuba’s current weakness. “I’ve been watching it for 50 years, and it’s fallen right into my lap because of me,” Trump said, bragging about his policies and pressure campaigns that he claims have pushed the island closer to collapse.
Trump didn’t shy away from specifics: he said he plans to send Secretary of State Marco Rubio — the Cuban‑American firebrand — to engage with the Cuban government and see “how that works out.”
The president’s remarks follow a similar theme he voiced Thursday at the White House, where he suggested that after U.S. forces finish with Iran, Cuba would be next in the administration’s plans for influence or regime change. “It’s just a question of time,” Trump said at an event with the MLS champion Inter Miami CF, signaling that Havana’s fate may be tied to U.S. policy once Tehran is dealt with.
Under Trump’s watch, the U.S. has tightened sanctions on Havana, exacerbating an already dire economic crisis on the island, and previously cut off Cuba’s vital oil supplies after the U.S. seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January.
