Trump Drops Cuba Bombshell! Iran Next?! What Happens Now?

In a rather abrupt and characteristically Trumpian fashion, the former U.S. President has declared that Cuba is on the verge of collapse, though his primary focus, at least for now, remains squarely on Iran. The assertion came during a Friday afternoon flurry of calls to Washington reporters, a tactic Trump has often employed to get his message directly to the public.

Trump Drops Cuba Bombshell! Iran Next?! What Happe...

CNN's Dana Bash, one of the recipients of these calls, reported that Trump initially touted the "very well...better than anybody could have even dreamed" military situation in Iran before suddenly pivoting to the island nation to the south. "Cuba is gonna fall pretty soon," he reportedly told Bash. "They want to make a deal so badly. I’m going to put Marco [Rubio] over there and we’ll see how that works out. We’re really focused on this one [Iran] right now. We’ve got plenty of time, but Cuba’s ready — after 50 years.” The call concluded shortly thereafter, leaving Bash, and likely many others, with a fair bit to unpack.

Trump then doubled down on his tough stance on Iran, taking to his social media platform, Truth, to declare that "there will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!" He went on to say that after surrender and the selection of new leadership, the U.S. and its allies would "work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before." He even dusted off a familiar slogan: "MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN (MIGA!)"

Trump's comments on Cuba come in the wake of Maduro's capture and his repeated claims that the Cuban regime is teetering on the brink, deprived of vital oil and economic assistance from Venezuela. Remember, Cuba has been facing its worst economic crisis in decades, so Trump's claims, while perhaps exaggerated, aren't entirely without context. He's publicly ruled out military intervention, but has threatened secondary sanctions against nations supplying oil to the island.

Interestingly, while Trump is predicting Cuba's imminent demise, the Cuban government itself is signaling a willingness to adapt. Just this week, President Miguel Díaz-Canel issued an "urgent" call to transform the island's economic model. The Official Gazette even published a decree-law paving the way for public-private companies, a pretty significant departure after 67 years. It's worth remembering that, in the past, some Cuban officials have said they would consider business deals with Trump, but there's been no verification of this.

During the CNN interview, Bash also pressed Trump on his views regarding Iran potentially electing a religious leader. Trump's response was characteristically ambiguous: “Well, maybe yeah, I mean, it depends on who the person is. I don’t mind religious leaders. I deal with a lot of religious leaders and they are fantastic. I’m saying there has to be a leader that’s going be fair and just. Do a great job. Treat the United States and Israel well, and treat the other countries in the Middle East — they’re all our partners.” As always, with Trump, it seems, things are rarely black and white.