Following Cuba's condemnation of a new US executive order imposing tariffs on oil suppliers, President Donald Trump predicted the island's imminent collapse and a potential deal with Washington to end its crisis, dismissing humanitarian concerns.
On Saturday aboard Air Force One, Trump reiterated his pressure strategy after Cuba's Foreign Ministry denounced the Jan. 29 executive order as a violation of international law. Responding to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's humanitarian warnings, Trump stated: “There doesn’t have to be a humanitarian crisis. I think they’ll probably come to us and want to make a deal. So Cuba will be free again.”
Trump assessed Cuba's dire state: “Cuba is going to collapse pretty soon. Cuba is really a nation that is very close to collapse,” citing blackouts affecting over half the country, paralyzed transport, halted industries, and overwhelmed hospitals. On Truth Social, he posted: “There will be no more oil or money going to Cuba—zero! I strongly suggest they make a deal before it’s too late,” noting Cuba's past reliance on Soviet and Venezuelan support.
Trump praised Sheinbaum as “very good” and claimed she agreed to halt shipments, though Mexico insists its aid is humanitarian and is exploring sanction-avoiding alternatives. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called the measures “fascist” and aimed at provoking a crisis, vowing resistance. Trump's approach bets on economic pressure to force regime change, amid Cuba's scheduled outages blamed on the US embargo.