US secretary of state Marco Rubio is close to achieving a long-held personal goal: the toppling of Cuba's communist government. The Trump administration's 'maximum pressure' campaign against Havana marks the culmination of decades of effort for Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who now serves as both secretary of state and national security adviser.
In a video released on Cuban independence day, Rubio told Cubans in Spanish that the US embargo is not to blame for the country's hardships, stating that 'the only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country'. The administration has indicated it is laying the groundwork to unseat the government, with President Trump saying he would be 'happy to do it'.
The US has deployed the aircraft carrier Nimitz and its strike group to the southern Caribbean as a show of force. Axios reported that Cuba has acquired over 300 military drones and may consider attacking the US base at Guantánamo Bay, US ships, or targets in Florida. Rubio told reporters that Cuba poses an imminent national security threat, citing weapons from Russia and China and the presence of Russian and Chinese intelligence.
Democrats have questioned the leaked intelligence as a potential pretext for military intervention. Senator Chris Murphy warned that 'a crowd of Cuba hawks' may be taking advantage of an 'increasingly checked out' President Trump. Rubio's rise reflects Trump's growing willingness to support military interventions abroad, following the operation in Venezuela in January.
Rubio has tempered his outspoken views on issues like Ukraine while expanding his influence. Matthew Kroenig, a former adviser to Rubio's 2016 campaign, said Trump's current foreign policy aligns with what a Rubio presidency might have looked like: tough on dictatorships and willing to use force.
