DORAL, Fla., March 9 - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday depicted Cuba as facing a grave humanitarian situation and said that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was handling the matter, with an outcome that "may or may not be a 'friendly takeover.'"
"He’s dealing (with it) and it may be a friendly takover, it may not be a friendly takeover. Wouldn’t really matter because they’re really down to...as they say, fumes. They have no energy, they have no money," Trump said at a news conference in Doral, Florida.
In his remarks, the president characterized the Cuban state's condition in stark terms on a humanitarian basis, asserting that the country lacked both energy and financial resources. He framed the U.S. response as being coordinated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and suggested that the ultimate result for the Cuban government could range from a friendly transfer of power to a less amicable outcome.
The Cuban government has publicly stated that it is not engaged in any high-level talks with the United States. At the same time, Havana has not explicitly denied media reports indicating that U.S. officials could be holding informal discussions with Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, identified in those reports as the grandson of former Cuban President Raul Castro.
The situation remains politically charged among communities with a history of opposition to the Cuban government. Cuban exiles, whose population is concentrated in Miami, have for decades harbored aspirations that the island's government might be overthrown or collapse. The record cited in reporting notes that some within that exile community have previously plotted against the government that was established by the late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.
Officials in Washington and Havana have offered differing descriptions of the level and nature of contact between the two governments. The Cuban government's denial of formal, high-level talks contrasts with press accounts of possible informal outreach involving a member of the Castro family, leaving the precise status of discussions unclear.
Contextual note: The president's statements framed the issue as part humanitarian concern and part diplomatic maneuvering, while official responses from Cuba left room for uncertainty about the existence and formality of any bilateral engagements.