Trump says Cuba “looks ready to fall” after U.S. capture of Venezuela’s leader

Shortly after U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s leader, President Trump told reporters on Air Force One that “Cuba looks like it is ready to fall” and suggested his administration may turn its sights to the island, adding he did not think military intervention was necessary because “it looks like it’s going down.” The capture of Nicolás Maduro is described in the report as a major blow to the long-standing Venezuela–Cuba alliance.

The piece says Cuba relied on Venezuelan oil — about 35,000 barrels a day on average in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to one analyst — and that a U.S. blockade of Venezuelan oil is cutting off an economic lifeline. The article notes that nearly three dozen Cubans were killed when U.S.

forces invaded Caracas and quotes Cuba’s foreign minister calling Maduro’s overthrow “a critical existential dilemma.” It also details domestic hardships in Cuba: long lines for basics, rolling blackouts, scarce medicines, and a migration loss of about 1 million people, or roughly 10 percent of the population since 2021.

Whether Washington will act against Cuba remains to be seen, the article says. It cites analysts who argue Cuba has little to offer economically to the United States and that a collapse could spur migration and security concerns.

Key Topics

World, Donald Trump, Nicolas Maduro, Cuba, Venezuela, Marco Rubio