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One day after a U.S. military operation led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a blunt warning to Cuba, signaling that the Trump administration may widen its pressure campaign in Latin America.
“I don’t think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime,” Rubio said Sunday on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” adding that Cuban leaders are “in a lot of trouble.”
Rubio declined to outline specific next steps, but said Cuba had played a central role in propping up Maduro’s government — a claim the Cuban government strongly denies.
“The Cuban regime were the ones that were propping up Maduro,” Rubio said.
Administration Escalates Rhetoric
Rubio’s comments followed a news conference Saturday in which he and President Donald Trump openly suggested Cuba could face increased U.S. pressure after Maduro’s capture.
“If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned,” Rubio said Saturday.
Trump compared Cuba’s situation to Venezuela’s collapse, describing the island nation as “a very badly failing nation.”
“We want to help the people in Cuba,” Trump said, while also emphasizing support for Cuban exiles living in the United States.
Rubio on Sunday alleged that Cuban personnel played a direct role in Maduro’s security, telling “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that Maduro was guarded by Cuban — not Venezuelan — bodyguards.
“It was Cubans that guarded Maduro,” Rubio said. He added that Cuban officials were responsible for internal intelligence operations within Maduro’s government, including identifying potential disloyalty.
“Those are all Cubans,” Rubio said.
Foreign Policy Framing
Trump framed the administration’s actions within a broader hemispheric strategy, repeatedly invoking the Monroe Doctrine — the 19th century policy asserting U.S. opposition to foreign influence in the Western Hemisphere.
Referring to China, Iran and Russia’s involvement in Venezuela’s oil sector, Trump said those relationships violated “core principles of American foreign policy.”
“They now call it the Donroe doctrine,” Trump said, a remark that appeared to blend the Monroe Doctrine with his own foreign policy brand.
Over the weekend, Trump also leveled accusations against other Latin American leaders, including Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Trump accused Petro of overseeing “cocaine mills” and said he should “watch his ass,” while separately accusing Sheinbaum of allowing drug cartels to operate in Mexico.
“Something is going to have to be done with Mexico,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
Cuba Pushes Back
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the U.S. operation against Venezuela, calling it an act of “state terrorism.”
“#Cuba denounces and urgently demands the reaction of the international community against the criminal attack by the U.S. on #Venezuela,” Díaz-Canel wrote on X, describing the region as a “Zone of Peace” under assault.
In a separate statement, the Cuban government said it “strongly condemns” what it described as U.S. military aggression, calling it a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.
“All nations of the region must remain alert, as the threat hangs over all,” the statement said, ending with the slogan: “Homeland or Death.”
Rubio’s Longstanding Position
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has long been one of Washington’s most outspoken advocates for regime change in Cuba and Venezuela.
During Trump’s first term, Rubio was a leading supporter of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who was recognized by the U.S. and dozens of other countries after declaring himself Venezuela’s interim president in 2019. Guaidó later faced criminal charges under Maduro’s government.
That same year, Rubio argued publicly that U.S. military force could be legally justified in Venezuela if American interests were threatened.
“The U.S. has a right to use military force,” Rubio told NPR in 2019, adding that destabilizing Maduro’s government could also weaken Cuba economically.
“They make over a billion dollars a year that they’re paid for their security and espionage services,” Rubio said at the time. “The loss of a billion dollars will absolutely have an impact on that regime.”
With Maduro now in U.S. custody, Rubio’s renewed focus on Cuba underscores an administration increasingly willing to pair military action with sweeping diplomatic and economic pressure across the region.
