Rubio urges Cubans to partner with CIA amid Trump warship threat — SkimNews
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- Marco Rubio called on Cubans to seize the moment for political change, urging them to form a 'discrete' partnership with the CIA amid economic crisis and government corruption on the island
- Donald Trump revived his earlier suggestion that U.S. warships returning from the Iran war could stop near Cuba, saying one vessel would come within 50 yards of the coast and that Rubio would 'finish up the deal'
- Rubio misspoke in a social media post by using 'discrete' instead of 'discreet' when referring to a secret partnership between Cubans and the CIA, drawing attention to the phrasing of the call for regime change
- Cuban deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio mocked the U.S. response, accusing it of publicly recruiting for the CIA and likening the agency’s outreach to selling toothpaste
- Trump previously claimed he would be the president to finally intervene in Cuba, citing decades of unfulfilled intentions by past administrations and naming Cuba a national security threat due to ties with U.S. adversaries
- Cuba has faced a prolonged economic and energy crisis since 2020, with shrinking GDP, blackouts, food shortages, and mass emigration, fueling internal unrest and weakening the government’s grip
Why it matters: The U.S. is escalating rhetorical pressure on Cuba’s government at a time of deep economic instability, with top officials openly discussing covert collaboration and military proximity. This raises the risk of direct confrontation, while Havana faces diminishing capacity to resist external and internal pressures.
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