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The White House · Report · File No. 261113-280

Trump says he wants to 'get Cuba done' before leaving office, would weigh force

In a radio interview, the president put a loose deadline on Cuba and said he would consider a short military campaign. The U.S. is already squeezing the island with an economic embargo, and Democrats have tried to require a vote by Congress.

By the White House Desk · · 2 min read

Every quote in this story (2) was matched word for word against its source. How we work

My clippings
Donald Trump
Donald Trump. Photo: Daniel Torok, Public domain

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wants to resolve the Cuba issue before he leaves office in 2029. He also said he would consider using military force against the island 1. He spoke in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt 12.

Hewitt asked whether Trump would be comfortable with "a little bit of military force, a week campaign," according to Mediaite. Trump answered that he "would certainly consider that" 2. CNBC reports that Trump called Cuba a failed state and said his administration was watching Havana closely 1.

Donald Trump
I want to get Cuba done before I leave,
Donald Trump, President, Republican1

Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents are from Cuba, "would love to do it" 1. CNBC, citing Politico, says this is the first time Trump has put a timeline on possible military action to topple Cuba's leaders 1. The reports did not describe any announced military plans.

Embargo and sanctions continue

The U.S. still enforces a full economic embargo on Cuba. CNBC says that pressure has helped deepen an energy and economic crisis on the island, with repeated nationwide blackouts and shortages of fuel and food 1.

From Channel GOPTrump dodges rigged-election question, calls Massie loserDonald Trump · 525 plays · captioned, with the source named

Earlier this month, the Treasury Department added sanctions on Cuban oil tankers and shipping companies 1. It also threatened to target anyone doing business in Cuba's maritime industries 1.

Cuba's embassy in Washington says those steps "deepen an energy siege that already leaves hospitals without reliable power and families facing blackouts." It estimated the cost of the U.S. blockade to Cuba at $8 billion between March 2025 and February 2026 1. Those are Cuba's figures. CNBC did not independently verify them.

Congress and the Iran war

CNBC notes that Trump has said the White House could turn to Cuba after the Iran war. He has also said he thinks he will have the "honor" of "taking Cuba" 1. Analysts have generally doubted a U.S. military campaign against Cuba. They say more economic pressure looks likelier 1.

Democrats have already tried to limit his options. In March, Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine, Ruben Gallego and Adam Schiff filed a war powers resolution on Cuba. Kaine said then, "Only Congress has the power to declare war under the Constitution" 3. The reports I read did not include a Democratic response to Trump's new remarks.

That matters because a "week campaign" is easy to promise and hard to control. The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, and Trump has not said whether he would seek its approval. The next signs to watch are further Treasury sanctions and any new war powers vote when the lame-duck Congress returns.

Trump made his remarks just after a midterm election in which Republicans lost ground, and while the U.S. is still involved in the Iran war 1. The open question is whether Congress would be asked to approve a new military action in the Caribbean.

The Record

  1. Democratic Sens. Kaine, Gallego and Schiff file a war powers resolution aimed at checking Trump on Cuba 3.
  2. Trump tells Hugh Hewitt he wants to 'get Cuba done before I leave' and would 'certainly consider' a short military campaign 12.
  3. Cuba's embassy puts the cost of the U.S. blockade at $8 billion from March 2025 to February 2026 1.
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Sources

  1. CNBC, “Trump says he wants to 'get Cuba done' before leaving office, would consider military force” (2026-11-13). cnbc.com/2026/11/13/trump-cuba-us-military-force-iran.html
  2. Mediaite, “Trump Says He Wants to Get Cuba 'Done' Before Leaving Office” (2026-11-12). mediaite.com/media/news/trump-says-he-wants-to-get-cuba-done
  3. PBS NewsHour, “Democratic senators file war powers resolution to check Trump on Cuba” (2026-03-13). pbs.org/newshour/amp/politics/democratic-senators-file-war-p

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