U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his threat of a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, saying the communist-run Caribbean island is in “deep trouble.”
His latest comments come less than a week after he suggested that his administration would turn its sights on Havana after U.S. military operations in Iran ended.
The Trump administration has sought to ratchet up the pressure on Cuba since the Jan. 3 military operation to depose Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a long-time ally of Cuba’s government.
The U.S. has effectively cut Havana off from Venezuelan oil, called its government “an unusual and extraordinary threat,” and pledged to impose tariffs on any country that supplies it with oil.
Speaking at a news conference in Doral, Florida, Trump said on Monday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was dealing with Cuba’s leadership as the country grapples with a worsening economic crisis.
