Is Cuba Next for Donald Trump?
After the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump can’t seem to stop talking about Cuba
For more than a week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump, along with the help of the corporate news media, have claimed ownership of Venezuela, a country with a population of more than 30 million people. Media outlets across the United States have spoken to many Venezuelan immigrants, but have spoken to no Venezuelans inside the country. As protests against the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro continue in the country and the Venezuelan government remains in control, the news media are intentionally ignoring it.
In addition to Rubio declaring that the oil blockade will be used to force a US-backed leader to be installed, Trump issued an Executive Order saying that Venezuelan oil revenue, presumably from the oil tankers the US seized, will be held in US treasury accounts. The withholding of funds, according to the Order, is to ensure they’re “preserved to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives,” with no mention of benefitting the Venezuelan people.
The Executive Order also blocks “attachment, judgment, decree, lien, execution, garnishment, or other judicial process against Foreign Government Deposit Funds,” which are defined as the “Venezuelan oil revenues and diluent sales held in US Treasury accounts.” While the White House asserts that Trump is “preventing the seizure of Venezuelan oil revenue that could undermine critical US efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela,” presumably talking about US adversaries seizing it, the US is the only one doing any seizing.
Aside from keeping oil companies seeking restitution from Venezuela from accessing the funds through legal means, the Order highlighted what’s of importance for the United States, as it mentioned oil seven times, and Venezuelans only once. Meanwhile, Trump continues to assert dominion over Venezuela, even sharing an image of a fake Wikipedia page saying that he’s the “acting president” of Venezuela and telling the New York Times that US “oversight” of Venezuela could last “for years.” The Times did not challenge the assertion of “ownership.”
“We will rebuild it in a very profitable way,” Trump told the New York Times. “We’re going to be using oil, and we’re going to be taking oil. We’re getting oil prices down, and we’re going to be giving money to Venezuela, which they desperately need.”
The New York Times, like other legacy media outlets, was more focused on whether troops would be deployed to Venezuela to force change, suggesting a parent/child relationship, rather than on the Venezuelan people and what they may or may not want. The Times also asked about presumed president-elect Edmundo Gonzalez, but Trump dodged the question. Even so, the narrative suggesting the US is in control of Venezuela is dubious, at best; however, the narratives persist due to their not being challenged by legacy media.
Meanwhile, the rhetoric about US domination over Cuba has grown in the last week after the US attack on Venezuela. The Trump administration has ramped up threatening rhetoric, saying that Cuba should “make a deal, before it’s too late.” Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, however, says there are no ongoing talks between the two nations. So what does Trump mean? It’s simple. Trump thinks that by kidnapping Maduro, Cuba has been cut off from Venezuela, a relationship he referred to as a “lifeline” for Cuba.
The portrayal has since taken off across media outlets and social media, with people saying that the collapse of the Cuban government was inevitable. While that may or may not be true for other potential reasons, it seems no one has taken the time to look into this claim. Had they done so, they would’ve seen that oil deliveries to Cuba from Venezuela dropped more than 60% in 2023 and that Mexico is now Cuba’s top oil supplier. Mexico ships oil and goods as humanitarian aid and commercial shipments, which are protected by international law. Despite its legality, Trump is making Mexico a target over its longstanding support of the Cuban people.
While the legacy media creates stories about Cuba being “defiant” because of its relationship with Mexico, they’re painting certain alliances as part and parcel of the anti-Venezuelan and anti-Cuban propaganda machine. Colombia and Mexico are just the two biggest targeted names after recent elections that the US meddled with in Honduras and Chile. Bolivia, which also elected a right-wing president, along with Honduras and Chile, is expected to side with the US in Trump’s conquest, despite his overt statements seeking power and control over the region.
When the Department of State claims outright ownership of the entire hemisphere, it behooves US citizens and the world to take notice. Destabilizing the entire region for greed and the benefit of US corporate interests, a region that the United States sits in the middle of, will undoubtedly impact the US economically while crippling the populations of entire nations by stealing their wealth for the benefit of a few of Trump’s billionaire buddies.
Is Cuba next? It sure seems like it. If nothing else, expect more “maximum pressure” sanctions at the very least. But one thing is certain: Cuban hardliners in Miami and in Congress are not letting up on pressuring Trump to attack Cuba similarly to the attack on Venezuela. Trump even floated the idea of Rubio taking over as Cuba’s president, responding to someone suggesting the idea, saying, “Sounds good to me.” Like the loathing of Machado in Venezuela, Cubans on the island largely despise Marco Rubio.
You can’t participate in starving people and expect them to be your friends.
I’m an independent journalist digging deeper into the stories you see or don’t see on the news. Find my work at Unicorn Riot, The Antagonist Magazine, Latino Rebels, Orinoco Tribune, and more. I’m also on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and Threads. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber or making a donation via Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App.
Rubio running Cuba? That's all we need. Christ.
Bombing for peace is the art of Private Bonespurs’ deal.