Trump says he wants to ‘get Cuba done’ before leaving office, would consider military force

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants to "get Cuba done" before leaving office in 2029, adding that he would "certainly consider" military intervention against the communist-run Caribbean island.

In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, Trump said his administration was monitoring the situation in Havana "very closely" and described Cuba as a "failed" state.

"I want to get Cuba done before I leave," Trump said. His comments marked the first time he has put a timeline on possible military intervention to topple Cuban authorities, according to Politico.

Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents are from Cuba, "would love to do it" and said he would "certainly consider" a short military operation.

It comes as the U.S. continues to enforce a comprehensive economic embargo against Cuba, a campaign which has contributed to a deepening energy and economic crisis on the island. Cuba has suffered repeated nationwide blackouts in recent months, as well as fuel and food shortages.

The Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C., estimated on Thursday that the cost of the U.S. blockade to Cuba between March 2025 and February 2026 amounted to $8 billion.

Earlier this month, the Treasury Department imposed further sanctions on Cuban oil tankers and shipping companies and threatened to target any international entity or person doing business within its marine or maritime industries as part of a push "to end the Cuban regime's malign activities, both in Cuba and across our hemisphere."

In response, Cuba's Embassy in Washington, D.C., said these steps "deepen an energy siege that already leaves hospitals without reliable power and families facing blackouts. The blockade is not targeted at a government. It is collective punishment that hits ordinary people every day."

Trump has previously talked up the prospect of a "friendly takeover" of Havana and said the White House could turn its sights on Cuba after the Iran war. The U.S. president has also said he could do anything he wanted with the country, adding that he thinks he will have the "honor" of "taking Cuba."

In May, Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy said the country of roughly 10 million had run out of fuel oil and diesel, describing the country's predicament as "extremely tense."

Analysts have typically been skeptical about the prospect of a U.S. military campaign against Cuba, suggesting that further economic pressure against the island's authorities appears more likely.