Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Cubans who want political change to act, saying "now is the time." He spoke just after President Trump told a Friday rally in south Florida that US warships could intervene in Cuba on their way home from the Iran war 1.
Rubio's post was addressed "to those who seek to create positive change." It told Cubans to "seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete [sic] partnership with the CIA" 1. The Guardian noted that he seemed to mean "discreet," which means private or secret 1.
What Trump said
Trump revived the idea after someone in the crowd shouted a question about Cuba. He said the ships would "pass Cuba" and that one would stop about 50 yards off the coast 1.
Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast.
Trump first floated the idea earlier this year but had not mentioned it in recent months 1. He spoke days before midterm elections in which voters have voiced concern about how the Iran war affects prices, from gas to groceries 1.
From Channel GOPTrump says he alone decides who gets paidDonald Trump · 135 plays · captioned, with the source named
Havana's response
Cuba mocked the comments. Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio wrote on X that the US was "resorting to public recruitment for the CIA" 1.
There must be a great deal of desperation or misery within the agency for it to be forced to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste.
How we got here
In May, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that earlier presidents had weighed acting in Cuba for decades and that "it looks like I'll be the one that does it" 12. That came as the administration unveiled criminal charges against Cuba's former leader, Raúl Castro. Prosecutors accuse him of ordering the 1996 shootdown of civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles 12. Castro is not in US custody 2.
At that time Rubio said the US preferred a peaceful deal but doubted one was possible. He said, "the likelihood of that happening, given who we're dealing with right now, is not high" 2. In a Sept. 29 interview with Fox News, he said Cuba had "already fallen" and did not mention any CIA operation 1.
Last month Trump told reporters he expected the two countries "will make a deal." He added, "I don't think we'll need the military" 1. This week the two nations clashed at the United Nations over the annual vote condemning the US embargo on Cuba 1.
What happens next
Neither the Guardian's report nor the AP's May account says Congress has voted on any action in Cuba 12. Whether the White House has a plan behind these remarks is unclear. Cuba has struggled with blackouts, food shortages and inflation, and its 10 million residents have faced a long economic crisis 1.
That matters because the US is already in a war with Iran, and a new front near Florida would carry costs and risks. Readers should ask what Congress has been told, and who would pay for it. The Guardian's report quotes no Democratic reaction yet.
The Record
- Trump says "it looks like I'll be the one that does it" on Cuba, as the US unveils charges against Raúl Castro 12.
- Rubio tells Fox News host Sean Hannity that Cuba "has already fallen," with no mention of a CIA operation 1.
- Trump says a warship could stop 50 yards off Cuba, and Rubio invites Cubans into a "discrete" CIA partnership 1.
Sources
- The Guardian, “Rubio tells Cubans 'now is the time' to act to see political change” (2026-10-24). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/23/marco-rubio-cuba-trump
- AP via WYPR, “Rubio doubtful of diplomacy with Cuba as Trump raises new threat of military action” (2026-05-22). wypr.org/2026-05-22/rubio-doubtful-of-diplomacy-with-cuba-as
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