While President Trump has vowed to do something with Cuba in the near future, the US government continues to block fuel supplies to the island nation.
Published March 17, 2026
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba “needs to put a new person in charge” as U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration continues to increase pressure on Cuba.
Rubio made the comments Tuesday during an event in the Oval Office, saying Cuba “has an economy that doesn’t work with a political and governmental system.”
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He spoke as the United States continues to impose a de facto fuel embargo on Cuba since the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Threats of sanctions against countries that supply the island with fuel are exacerbating a long-standing economic crisis and causing humanitarian damage.
Rubio said Cuba’s decision announced this week to allow exiled nationals to invest and own businesses in the country did not go far enough.
“What they announced yesterday is not dramatic enough. It doesn’t solve the problem. So they have some big decisions to make.”
Rubio went on to say that Cuba has survived “on subsidies” since the Cuban revolution in the 1950s, adding: “Those in charge don’t know how to solve the problem.”
“Therefore, we need to appoint a new person,” he said.
President Trump hints at imminent action
Meanwhile, President Trump said on Monday that he may “occupy” Cuba, having previously hinted at a “friendly takeover” of the country, and on Tuesday said new action was imminent.
“We’re going to do something with Cuba soon,” he said.
Last week, the United States and Cuba announced they had entered into talks to end the pressure campaign.
Since then, multiple US media outlets have reported that the Trump administration is asking President Miguel Diaz-Canel to resign, but no details have been released about a potential successor.
The United States has maintained a decades-long embargo against Cuba and its communist government.
A nationwide power outage on Monday further highlighted the dire situation on the island, where periodic power outages have been the norm for years.
By early Tuesday, power had been restored to two-thirds of the country, including 45% of the capital Havana, home to 1.7 million people.
