Rubio tells Cubans ‘now is the time’ to act to see political change

In a social media post addressed 'to those who seek to create positive change,' Rubio urged Cubans to capitalize on Trump's plans. 'The disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few; seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA,' Rubio said, though he seemed to mistakenly use 'discrete' rather than 'discreet'.

Trump's Cuba Plan Revived

Trump first floated the idea of using warships to intervene in Cuba earlier this year but revived it recently in response to a shouted question from a crowd at a campaign rally in south Florida. 'We'll do a little stopover,' Trump said. 'Actually, what we're going to do with Cuba is, we're going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We'll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast.'

Cuba's Economic Crisis

The comments come as Cuba continues to struggle with an economic and energy crisis that began in 2020. The country's gross domestic product has shrunk, and its 10 million residents have endured blackouts, food shortages, and inflation. These conditions have led to waves of protests and hundreds of thousands of Cubans immigrating, many to the United States.

Rubio has previously stated that Cuba 'has already fallen,' claiming it 'doesn't have a functional economy and it's governed by people who continue to preach about some revolution that has been dead for 20 years that's never worked.' While expressing hope for a different path, Rubio emphasized the US would 'never allow Cuba to become a base of operation against American interests or pose a threat to our national security.'

Diplomatic Efforts Fail

Despite recent meetings between Rubio and other top Trump aides with Cuban officials to explore possible improvements in relations, the US side has come away unimpressed. These failed talks have led to even more sanctions being imposed on the Cuban government. At the United Nations, the Trump administration has sought to build opposition against the annual vote condemning Washington's decades-long economic embargo against Havana.

Trump had previously suggested Cuba would 'be next' in terms of US intervention abroad, following the winding down of the Iran war. In May, he told reporters in the Oval Office that previous US presidents had considered intervening in Cuba for decades but that 'it looks like I'll be the one that does it.' The timing of these renewed threats comes just days before midterm elections where voters have expressed concern about the impact of the Iran war on prices of goods from gas to groceries.