By José Ernesto Nováez Guerrero and Joshua Suarez

Trump once again threatened Cuba at a rally held Oct. 23 in Florida, as part of a nationwide tour the president is undertaking ahead of the midterm elections.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters, the United States president stated, “We’ll be returning from Iran; those beautiful ships will pass close to Cuba. We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards from the coast. They’ll raise their hands… and then we’ll send Marco Rubio to finish the job. (…) We don’t even have to stop; we’ll just leave it there, and he’ll take care of it. He’s a great guy.”

The context and location of these remarks also make it clear that they are a gesture aimed at the conservative electorate and right-wing donors in Florida—a state where the United States president resides and where he also maintains several key alliances.

The Cuban Foreign Minister’s response to these provocations was firm:

“We reject any threat regarding United States ambitions toward Cuba. Our shores have beautiful beaches, but we also have dogtooth coral—inhospitable to those who arrive with hostile intentions and a thirst for domination.”

Rubio Calls on Cubans to Work with the CIA

Minutes after Trump said in Fort Myers that he would send Marco Rubio to “seal the deal” with Cuba, the Secretary of State posted this message on his X account, addressed to Cubans.

“To those seeking to bring about positive change in Cuba: now is the time. Disillusioned by broken promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of just a few—seize this opportunity to bring about the change you desire through a discreet partnership with the CIA.”

It is as disrespectful as it is unprecedented for the head of United States diplomacy to openly recruit, on social media, collaborators for the CIA within Cuba.

No euphemisms like “civil society” or “democracy programs”: the intelligence agency, by name.

This comes on the very same afternoon that Trump announced dangerous maneuvers by warships stationed 50 yards off the Cuban coast, in a year marked by an oil blockade against the island—and just five days before the United Nations is set to vote on a resolution against the blockade.

This new aggressive escalation is part of a pattern of sustained aggression that the Trump administration and its State Department have waged against Cuba with particular virulence in 2026. Both the sanctions and these interventionist stances completely violate international law and the United Nations Charter.

There is absolutely no legal or moral basis for United States policy toward Cuba. Attacking the living conditions of an entire people, promoting interference by foreign agencies, and threatening military action violate every established international norm.

Additionally, this can be interpreted as a desperate move forward in the face of an adverse domestic political climate and the possibility of another defeat at the United Nations General Assembly, when the historic Cuban resolution against the blockade is considered.

Cuba has every right to defend itself. The criminal blockade must end.

Source: Resumen Latinoamericano English, Oct. 24, 2026, from Cuba en Resumen