WASHINGTON − President Donald Trump said the U.S. could have a "friendly takeover of Cuba" as fuel shortages squeeze Havana's authoritarian government in the wake of the U.S. military raid that captured the leader of nearby Venezuela − and a murky shootout off the Cuban coast involving U.S. citizens.
"Maybe we'll have a friendly takeover of Cuba," Trump told reporters Feb. 27 as he departed the White House on a trip to Texas. "We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba."
The U.S. has put severe economic pressure on Cuba, which has long relied on oil shipments from longtime ally Venezuela. Those shipments were blocked after Trump authorized a military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration relaxed the policy this week as the crisis inside Cuba deepened.
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The Venezuela operation prompted questions about whether the U.S. could take action in Cuba, where the Trump administration has taken a hard line against the communist government. Trump has called on Cuban leaders to "make a deal" and said Secretary of State Marco Rubio is engaging at "a very high level" with Havana.
