In a published wide-ranging interview Thursday with POLITICO on foreign policy, President Donald Trump predicted that the communist Cuban government regime is "going to fall."
“We cut off all oil, all money, or we cut off everything coming in from Venezuela, which was the sole source. And they want to make a deal,” Trump told POLITICO.
He also said Venezuela "is doing fantastically. [Delcy Rodríguez] is doing a fantastic job. The relationship with them is great.”
Rodriguez, who served as Nicolas Maduro’s vice president since 2018, took over leadership after Maduro was apprehended Jan. 3 by U.S. law enforcement authorities to face drug trafficking charges in the U.S.
On Cuba, Trump said administration officials are communicating with leaders of the communist Cuban government.
“They need help. We are talking to Cuba,” Trump told POLITICO.
Trump also took credit for bringing intense economic and political pressure on the Cuban regime.
“It’s because of my intervention,” Trump said.
“How long have you been hearing about Cuba — Cuba, Cuba — for 50 years?” Trump said. “And that’s one of the small ones for me.”
Cuba' long-running economic crisis has only intensified in recent months after key oil shipments from Venezuela were halted by the United States after the administration ordered an attack on the South American country in early January. Then later that month, Trump warned that he would impose tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba.
This week, swaths of Cuba were without power following a massive blackout that hit the western part of the island. This latest outage is being blamed on a fragile electric grid and a lack of fuel.
State media reported that some 444,700 customers in Havana, or 52%, had power, as well as 30 hospitals and 10 water supply stations.
Cuban government media reported that two power plants are offline because of a lack of petroleum.
Last month, Cuba implemented austere fuel-saving measures, including halting some public transportation and moving classes online.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
