President Donald Trump told a crowd in Fort Myers on Friday that U.S. warships returning from Iran could make a detour to Cuba, where he suggested the island’s communist government would effectively surrender before Secretary of State Marco Rubio stepped in to close out the matter.
Trump made the comments at a campaign rally at Alico Arena on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus after an audience member asked him about Cuba policy.
“No, Cuba, he wants to know what about Cuba. Give me a break. Give me a break,” Trump said. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran. We’ll do a little stopover.”
He then sketched out a scenario involving American ships passing the island on their way home from the Middle East.
“No, we’ll do a little stopover. Actually, what we’re going to do with Cuba is we’re going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba,” Trump said. “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.”
Trump added that Rubio might not even need the ships to make a stop at all.
“We’ll have Marco. We don’t even have to stop,” he said. “We could just put him in there and he’ll figure it out. He’s a great guy.”
Rubio’s Role in Cuba Policy
Rubio, a former U.S. senator from Florida, has taken the lead on the administration’s Cuba strategy. Trump has repeatedly said he wants to fundamentally change the island’s communist government, and pressure on Havana has intensified throughout his second term.
In September, the administration rolled out new sanctions aimed at Cuban elites, financial networks and resource operations. The State Department said the communist government poses a threat to U.S. national security.
Rubio has also openly questioned the staying power of Cuba’s government. Speaking with Fox News host Sean Hannity, he called the country a failure under leaders who kept pushing a revolution that never delivered.
Why Trump Was in Fort Myers
The rally was held to support Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for Florida governor against Democrat David Jolly. Cuba policy remains a potent political issue in Florida, where Cuban American voters carry significant influence at the ballot box.
