President Donald Trump is escalating a hardline campaign to isolate Cuba, cutting off the communist regime’s access to oil and warning Americans still on the island to get out before conditions deteriorate further.
Trump’s recent moves to restrict Cuba’s energy supply have sharply squeezed the island, which relies heavily on imported fuel to keep its power grid, transportation and basic services running. U.S. officials say the strategy is designed to apply maximum pressure on Havana, potentially forcing the government to the negotiating table as shortages and unrest mount.
“We’re starting to talk to Cuba,” President Donald Trump told reporters Saturday night aboard Air Force One, signaling that the tightening vise may already be having an effect.
If Trump somehow gets Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran all to fall, he should get a Nobel Peace Prize. pic.twitter.com/FrJrjC1pML
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) January 28, 2026
The pressure intensified this past week when Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba. The measure is aimed at choking off third-party support for the regime and discouraging foreign governments from backfilling energy supplies cut off by U.S. action.
The move placed particular pressure on Mexico, which Cuba became increasingly dependent on for oil after the Trump administration halted shipments from Venezuela following the ouster of strongman Nicolas Maduro. With Venezuela sidelined and new tariffs looming, Havana’s remaining fuel options have narrowed dramatically.
Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez said oil is the regime’s most critical vulnerability and warned that continued restrictions could accelerate its collapse.
“The dictatorship cannot survive without oil,” Gimenez said, pointing to rolling blackouts, transportation shutdowns and growing public frustration across the island.
Gimenez joined Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, local officials and leaders from the Cuban exile community at a joint news conference Sunday, where they called for an immediate halt to oil shipments, travel and remittances to Cuba. The group argued that those flows continue to sustain the communist government in Havana despite decades of repression.
This is huge for all Cuban Americans and the poor people of Cuba! 🇺🇸🇨🇺🙏🔥 pic.twitter.com/a6kkNsQvS5
— Trump Girl (@TrumpGirlLove) January 30, 2026
Gimenez also urged Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to end Mexico’s oil exports to Cuba, saying the shipments effectively bankroll the regime and undermine international pressure.
“Our allies have reached out to me about #Cuba,” Gimenez wrote in a public message. “My message remains the same: cut diplomatic ties with the dictatorship, close your embassies, & evacuate before it is too late. The end of the Castro regime nightmare is near.”
“Would you like to to see a regime change in Cuba? “
Marco Rubio’s answer is spot on.
This guy is one of the finest and most competent people in the Trump administration.
He keeps on amazing me every single day! pic.twitter.com/Mj19PsefKu
— AJ Inapi (Allan) (@aj_inapi) January 30, 2026
He warned that Americans still in Cuba could soon find themselves trapped if fuel shortages further disrupt flights, transportation and communications. “Americans in Cuba need to leave now, before it’s too late,” Gimenez said.
At the news conference, he framed the Trump administration’s actions as part of a broader effort to confront authoritarian governments in the Western Hemisphere.“The job of government is to protect its citizens,” Gimenez said. “There is no greater America First agenda than ensuring the cancer of tyrannical regimes is eliminated from our hemisphere.”
He grouped Cuba with other leftist regimes in the region, saying, “The regimes in Castro’s Cuba, Daniel Ortega’s Nicaragua, and Delcy Rodriguez’s Venezuela have systematically denied their people basic rights while repressing all forms of dissent.”
Supporters of the Trump Cuba strategy say cutting off oil, cash and diplomatic legitimacy strikes at the core of the Cuban government’s ability to govern. Analysts note that energy shortages weaken internal security, disrupt state services and amplify public pressure on regimes already facing legitimacy crises.
As Trump tariffs take effect and oil supplies tighten, officials warn the situation on the island could change rapidly. For Americans still in Cuba, Donald Trump allies say the message is unmistakable: leave now, while escape routes remain open.
