With the Trump administration’s oil blockade cutting off fuel to Cuba, the country’s electrical grid collapsed Monday, causing an island-wide blackout. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, threatened again to topple the country’s communist government. “I do believe I’ll [have] the honor of taking Cuba,” Trump told reporters Monday afternoon. The repeated power cuts and blackouts have set off rare protests in the communist country in recent days. A White House official, asked for clarity about what the president meant Monday by “taking” Cuba, emphasized a deal.

Source: Washington Post March 17, 2026 01:41 UTC