US President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed speculation that the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz near Cuba was aimed at intimidating the Cuban government. According to reports from Business Standard, Trump told reporters that the United States wants to help Cuba on humanitarian grounds amid the country's ongoing economic and power crisis. 'No, not at all. The Cuba look, it's a failed country. They don't have electricity, they don't have money, they don't have really anything. They don't have food. And we're going to help them along and we're going to help them because the people because number one, I want to help them on a humanitarian basis,' Trump stated. He emphasized that 'Everybody knows it' and reiterated his commitment to providing assistance to the Cuban people.
Trump highlighted the involvement of the Cuban-American community in Florida, stating that many wanted to help rebuild Cuba. As reported by Business Standard, he said 'But we have the Cuban-American population, much of it living in Miami and Florida. That's a great group of people, amazing group of people, industrious, just they're great Americans. They've wanted this to happen. They want to go back to their country. They want to help their country. I hope they're going to stay here, but they want to invest in their country and, you know, see if they can bring it back.' Trump added that previous US presidents had considered similar steps for decades, noting 'Other presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years doing something and it looks like I'll be the one that does it. So it would be happy to do. We want to open it up to Cuban-Americans where they can go back and help.'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided a detailed analysis of Cuba's current situation, describing the country as a 'failed state' with an economic model that cannot succeed. According to Business Standard, Rubio stated 'Their system doesn't work, right? Their economic system does not work. It's broken. And you can't fix it with the current political system that's in place. They just don't comprehend how to do it. And it's a failed state.' He criticized Cuba's leadership for proposing 'cosmetic' reforms and argued that the people of Cuba should have the same freedoms seen in neighboring countries, including the right to own businesses and vote for their leaders. 'You look at Cuba, in the Bahamas, in Jamaica, in the Dominican Republic, here in Florida. Cuba's surrounded by places where people have the right to do things like own a business, work for themselves, and be able to vote and for the leaders that govern them and or replace them. So if that's possible all around Cuba, why isn't it possible inside of Cuba? And right now there just doesn't seem to be people over there in charge of the regime who are in any way open to any of those changes,' Rubio explained.
Rubio emphasized the direct national security implications of Cuba's situation, noting the island's proximity to the US mainland. As reported by Business Standard, he warned that 'It's not nation building. It's we are addressing something that's directly related to the national security of the United States. We are involved in places all over the world. You're asking me about Ebola--important, but Ebola's in Africa. Cuba is 90 miles from our shores.' He accused Cuba's military-linked business conglomerate GAESA of controlling $18 billion in assets without benefiting ordinary citizens, stating 'Not a penny of that transfers over to the state budget. Not a penny of that goes over to help the people of Cuba. Not one cent.' He explained that 'Even if they had all the diesel in the world, they still wouldn't be able to generate energy because they they've stolen the money and haven't invested in their energy infrastructure. So you're heading for a failed state. That's what you have now, but it's 90 miles from our shores.'
Despite the strong rhetoric, both Trump and Rubio emphasized their preference for diplomatic solutions. According to Business Standard, Rubio stated 'Our preference in Cuba and anywhere in the world is a negotiated diplomatic settlement. Okay? And that's what I would say to you. The President always has the option to do whatever it takes to support and protect the national interest, the national security of the United States.' He noted that the Trump administration's preference remains diplomatic solutions, but warned that 'if there's a threat to the national security of the United States, the President not just has the right, he has the obligation to address that national security threat.' Rubio added that 'Because that's what they've gotten used to all these years is just buying time and waiting us out. They're not going to be able to wait us out or buy time. We're very serious, we're very focused as I told you a moment ago in the context of Iran. The President's preference is always a negotiated agreement that's peaceful. That's always our preference. That remains our preference. With Cuba, I'm just being honest with you, the likelihood of that happening given who we're dealing with right now is not high. But if they have a change of heart, you know, we're here. And in the meantime we'll keep doing what we need to do.'
