FORT MYERS, Florida - US President Donald Trump on Oct 23 used a campaign rally in Florida, where Cuban Americans are a potent voting bloc, to vow to address his concerns about Cuba once the Iran war is settled.
In a 90-minute speech in Fort Myers, Trump repeated more military action against Iran may lie ahead as he tries to address the causes of a spike in oil prices that has put Republicans on the defensive ahead of the Nov 3 midterm elections.
With an eye toward the senior Americans who live in Florida, Trump said he planned to spend US$250 million to hire at least 5,000 new nurses in elder care facilities all across America.
While the Iran war has no end in sight, Trump talked tough about Cuba, part of a pattern of putting pressure on the communist government there after ousting the leader of Venezuela early this year.
Trump, who won 68% of the Cuban-American vote in Florida in the 2024 election, said American naval forces from Iran will stop at Cuba on the way home.
“We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands, and then we’re going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal,” he said.
Secretary of State Rubio, a former US senator from Florida, has been handling much of the Cuba-related policy for Trump.
“To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba - now is the time,” Rubio said on X on Oct 23, urging those disappointed by Cuba’s government “to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA”. His post did not elaborate.
Trump’s rally was intended to boost the electoral prospects of Florida Republican Representative Byron Donalds, who is running for governor against Democrat David Jolly.
His speech, the latest in a near-daily blitz of campaign rallies in largely friendly areas, rambled from topic to topic such as the size of his crowds and his White House renovations.
Trump has increased pressure on Cuba in his second term.
In September, he labelled Cuba a “failed state” at the UN General Assembly and said, “Freedom will be coming to Cuba”, prompting a walkout by the Cuban delegation.
Trump has openly stated that his goal is to fundamentally change Cuba’s government. A US-imposed oil blockade has put the country under severe strain as it contends with fuel shortages and blackouts exacerbated by failing infrastructure.
UN human rights experts have condemned the oil blockade as a violation of international law while rights advocates say the Trump administration’s threats have echoed an imperialist approach. REUTERS