Donald Trump has suggested the US could carry out a “friendly takeover” of Cuba as tensions between Washington and Havana reach a new high after the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. As he left the White House for a campaigning event in Texas on Friday, Trump said: “The Cuban government is talking with us. Trump said on Friday: “They have no money, they have no anything right now. The US has cranked up pressure on Cuba’s struggling regime after its successful abduction of Venezuelan president and Cuba ally Nicolás Maduro in January. “Hammer is functioning more as ambassador to the diaspora than as the US representative to the Cuba government,” LeoGrande said.

Source: The Guardian February 28, 2026 00:43 UTC