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Trump says he wants to 'get Cuba done' as U.S. tightens blockade and fuel curbs

11h

Summary

  • President Donald Trump has tightened a blockade on Cuba, restricted foreign fuel shipments to the island, and says he would consider military force before January 2029.
  • The U.S. fuel restrictions came weeks after the U.S. military raid that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Cuba's top energy ally.
  • Cuba blames its worsening shortages on the U.S. fuel curbs; the White House attributes the island's suffering to its communist governance system.
  • Democrats won majorities in both chambers of Congress in the midterms, flipping more than 400 seats including 17 in Florida's legislature, and Trump and Vice President JD Vance partly blamed the Iran war.
  • Quiet fuel shipments from the United States and a surge of Chinese solar panels are easing shortages as Cuba shifts its economy toward private business.
  • U.S. officials allege Cuba aided China, Russia, Iran, and designated terrorist groups, though they have not provided evidence for the latter claim.

Reactions

  • Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt, 'I wanna get Cuba done before I leave,' praising Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his 'very good, talented guy for Cuba.'
  • Cuban U.N. Ambassador Ernesto Soberón Guzmán said U.S. aggression against Cuba is criminal, and any military action would be an international crime.
  • Guzmán said most Americans would support a respectful relationship with Cuba and reject the economic blockade.
  • Professor Theodore Henken forecast Trump's attention would be consumed by Iran, Ukraine, and domestic battles, leaving Cuba less of a priority and weakening the pressure campaign.
  • Historian Andres Sebastian Pertierra said no amount of pressure has produced the elite divisions needed for a 'Venezuela 2.0' takeover of Cuba.
  • Pertierra said the Trump administration has been a godsend for Cuban regime unity, with policy designed by Rubio, for whom it is personal.

Timeline newest first

  1. Trump tells radio host Hugh Hewitt he wants to 'get Cuba done' before leaving office and would 'certainly consider' military force against Cuba before January 2029.
  2. Cuban officials interpret the Democrats' midterm gains, including 17 Florida legislative seats, as a popular repudiation of U.S. hawkish foreign policy.
  3. Trump and Vice President JD Vance acknowledge the war on Iran and foreign policy woes partly caused the Republican Party's midterm defeat.
  4. The U.S. restricts foreign fuel shipments to Cuba, weeks after the U.S. military raid that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
  5. U.S. military personnel of Joint Task Force Southern Guard train at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on August 19, 2026.

Sources newest first

  • Can Cuba Survive Two More Years of Trump?newsweek.com· 11h

    Newsweek examines whether Cuba can outlast President Donald Trump's tightened blockade, fuel restrictions, and threat of military force before January 2029, after Democratic midterm wins and the war on Iran weakened his hand. Trump tells Hugh Hewitt he wants to get Cuba done before leaving office, while Cuba's U.N. ambassador and experts Theodore Henken and Andres Sebastian Pertierra doubt the pressure will succeed.