US President Donald Trump said the Cuban government is in serious financial trouble and confirmed that talks are underway between Washington and Havana, suggesting the possibility of what he described as a friendly takeover of the island nation.
Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas, Trump painted a bleak picture of Cuba’s economic situation.
“The Cuban government is talking with us. They’re in a big deal of trouble, as you know,” Trump said. “They have no money. They have no anything right now. But they’re talking with us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”
He repeated the phrase, adding: “We could very well end up having a friendly takeover of Cuba.”
However, Trump did not elaborate on what he meant by a friendly takeover, nor did he provide details about the nature or scope of the discussions between the two governments.
The President suggested that any potential outcome could benefit Cuban Americans and others who left the island decades ago.
“They’re in big trouble and we could very well — something good, I think very positive for the people that were expelled or worse from Cuba that live here,” Trump said. “You know, we have people living here that want to go back to Cuba and they’re very happy with what’s going on.”
US-Cuba relations have long been marked by tension, spanning decades of political hostility, economic sanctions and shifting diplomatic approaches. Trump alluded to that history in his remarks.
“After many, many years, we’ve had a lot of years of dealing with Cuba. I’ve been hearing about Cuba since I’m a little boy,” he said.
His comments come as the administration continues to shape its foreign policy agenda in the Western Hemisphere.
