After the recent arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and amid the ongoing war with Iran, President Donald Trump has said that his next attention would be on Cuba. According to Reuters, the president stated a few days ago, “I can do anything I want with it,” while referring to Cuba.
However, the statements have not stopped a number of Cubans who have settled in South Florida from cheering for the president. Ulises Perez came to the United Stated during a Joe Biden-era humanitarian parole program. Yet, Perez believes that it is Trump who could bring a change of regime in Cuba.
“Every president talked about Cuba like it was untouchable. Trump was the first who treated it like a problem that could actually be solved,” Perez told Newsweek.
Trump on Cuba:
I do believe I’ll have the honor of taking Cuba. That would be good. That’s a big honor.
I can free it or take it, I think I can do anything I want with it. pic.twitter.com/I0TpVCY73j
— Clash Report (@clashreport) March 16, 2026
Perez is a part of a larger group that is keeping their faith in the president, as the Trump administration further restricts fuel supplies to the island in order to punish the Cuban leaders for supporting Venezuela.
Marcell Felipe, the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora chair, told CBS News, “Everybody is extremely, extremely optimistic. It’s almost a surreal moment. We realize that this is our Berlin Wall moment.”
Experts called the oil blockade imposed by the Trump administration the most effective since the Missile Crisis. The president has completely cut off the island’s oil supplies, while also threatening any country that steps up to fill the gap.
Amid the power blackout, Trump said on Monday, “I do believe I’ll be… having the honor of taking Cuba. Whether I free it, take it, think I could do anything I want with it. You want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation right now.”
With the Trump administration’s oil blockade cutting off fuel to Cuba, the country’s electrical grid collapsed Monday, causing an island-wide blackout.
President Trump, meanwhile, threatened again to topple the country’s communist government.https://t.co/svpsKTvsxm
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) March 16, 2026
His statement raises questions about whether Cubans will face a similar outcome as Venezuelans.
According to the New York Times, Trump does want to play an active role in the fall of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. However, constant talks with Havana suggest that the regime change could be a gradual transformation instead of a direct collapse.
While Cubans could face disappointment after it plays out, for the island’s government, the transformation is a “positive” outcome. Ricardo Zuniga, a former State Department official, said to Newsweek, “Cuba likely views the changes in Venezuela as a relatively positive model in that it extends the life of the regime and provides it greater control over its own future.”
