# Trump's New Target: Cuba **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [January 30, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207 "2026-01-30T18:17:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/1 "2026-01-30T18:17:59Z")
Trump is threatening tariffs against any country that supplies oil to Cuba. > **[Countries supplying oil to Cuba threatened with US tariffs](https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/1/30/trump-threatens-tariffs-on-countries-supplying-cuba-with-much-needed-oil)** > > Trump signs executive order ramping up pressure on Havana's oil supplies in wake of US abduction of Venezuela's Maduro. He claims that it’s to protect the US. > “The regime aligns itself with – and provides support for – numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States,” including Russia, China, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, Trump’s order states. Clearly this is just another power flex. Cuba is no threat to the US; rather, Trump sees them as vulnerable and wants to extort them. > Trump has spoken several times of [acting against Cuba](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/25/cuban-official-accuses-us-of-piracy-against-sanctioned-caribbean-island), saying earlier this month that the Cuban leadership should “make a deal, before it is too late” – without specifying the nature of such a deal or the consequences. Cuba is not a wealthy or powerful country and already struggles for resources. This would likely lead to a humanitarian crisis. Trump is emboldened after he suffered no consequences for war crimes against Venezuelan boats, then kidnapped the president of Venezuela, and recently kidnapped two people in Scotland. So he probably thinks he can do anything he wants, or can at least try and see what happens. Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work, as it didn’t with Greenland, but he just moves on to the next victim. Since Venezuela no longer provides oil to Cuba, Mexico is the largest supplier. But they appear to be giving into the pressure. > This week, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that her government had at least temporarily stopped oil shipments to Cuba, but said it was a “sovereign decision” not made under pressure from Washington. > > Mexico, along with Venezuela, provides the majority of Cuba’s oil supplies, but Venezuelan crude has been cut off since the US abduction of former President Maduro on January 3. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/2 "2026-01-30T18:26:04Z")
Since it’s all about the money, maybe the “deal” is that they buy all their oil from us. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/3 "2026-01-30T18:33:36Z")
At this point, I want to see the whole target list of nations that Trump has drawn up. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/4 "2026-01-30T19:08:50Z")
As the _[Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/the-u-s-is-actively-seeking-regime-change-in-cuba-by-the-end-of-the-year-1d0f178a?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqdhfBE-ep7vEBh2apG8J8Q6OB6P2FF0aBXla1pe4MEJzwQeI1vm6qzL&gaa_ts=697d046f&gaa_sig=rbHnAnFH9OiLnXshClv-8XGzXavlBswFxkBlVR_4yKyviXoPbLFlVD2yOU19nbPhu0bo5UyFK4os5Z4LynKCQA%3D%3D)_ [paywalled] reported last week: > “The Trump administration is searching for Cuban government insiders who can help cut a deal to push out the Communist regime by the end of the year, people familiar with the matter said.” ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/5 "2026-01-30T19:13:55Z")
How long until he invades the Rhineland? ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/6 "2026-01-30T19:21:52Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > [from quoted article] > “The regime aligns itself with – and provides support for – numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States,” including Russia, China, Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah, Trump’s order states. Wait, what? This has got to be fake news, TFG would never refer to Russia as a hostile country. But in seriousness, it’s amazing the amount of insane shit this administration has done in such a short amount of time. It comes on so fast and thick that it’s easy to forget the last bit of insanity in the shuffle. It’s almost insane to think it was just the other week that TFG was threatening war with NATO over Greenland. And Venezuela has gone to the back burner; it’s easy to forget that we’re not actually ‘running the country’ like TFG said we would or that the DOJ has shot itself in the foot with any plans to prosecute its president that we abducted. Between all of these, ICE murdering people in Minnesota, [threats of war with Iran](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/28/trump-threat-us-iran-war-armada-nuclear-programme) and all the other insanity it sometimes feels like I’m losing sight on something in all the insanity. Oh yeah, the Epstein files. And normally I’m skeptical of wag the dog claims. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/7 "2026-01-30T19:28:00Z")
I think Cuba has been the end game WRT Venezuela for a long time, what with Marco Rubio whispering in Diaper Don’s ear. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/8 "2026-01-30T20:01:22Z")
“Cuba’s now part of the United States. Anyone got a problem with that?” [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0tdvJ4bb-BM/hqdefault.jpg "MADtv - Drunk President") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tdvJ4bb-BM) There are obviously differences, but it is disturbing how much of this kind of came true. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/9 "2026-01-30T20:09:28Z")
Last week’s list, this week’s list or next week’s list? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/10 "2026-01-30T20:17:57Z")
Based on the new National Security plan that the Administration released, in general the idea is that we take ownership of Latin America and we leave Europe and Asia for the local superpowers/superpower-wannabes there. E.g. we swap alliance with Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, etc. for dominance of Venezuela, Cuba, and Mexico. It’s not clear to me what the motivation for this is, unless as a condition of getting China to not block us entirely from supply of rare earth elements, or to prevent Russia from releasing the video of Trump and that time he got busy with a 12 year old model that the KGB sent to his room at the Metropol Hotel, back in the 80s. Basically, that the US shrink and let authoritarianism sweep the globe. By all measures, we appear to be losing the 2nd Cold War. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/11 "2026-01-30T20:33:01Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > I think Cuba has been the end game WRT Venezuela for a long time, what with Marco Rubio whispering in Diaper Don’s ear. I have a feeling little Marco is just hanging on for dear life. He just has “Yes Mr President” on repeat. I wouldn’t doubt the Fanjul Brothers have been whispering in someone’s ear with hopes to corner the sugar cane market in Cuba like they have in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/12 "2026-01-30T21:50:37Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > think Cuba has been the end game WRT Venezuela for a long time, what with Marco Rubio whispering in Diaper Don’s ear. Even before Trump, a “Bay of Pigs II” has been the ultimate goal of the Republicans. The US has already maintained the economic blockade and “get tough” diplomatic relations with Cuba long after the end of the Cold War, and the death of the Castros, to curry favor with the Cuban-American voting bloc in Dade County. If Trump finally sends in the military to Havana and topples the Commies, it will likely guarantee the Republicans will carry Florida for the rest of the century. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/13 "2026-01-30T21:56:02Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Based on the new National Security plan that the Administration released, in general the idea is that we take ownership of Latin America and we leave Europe and Asia for the local superpowers/superpower-wannabes there. They seem to believe that North and South America are within the sphere of influence of the USA and it’s free to do what it wants there. But that would leave Ukraine to the Russians to do with what they want or Taiwan to mainland China for it to dominate. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/14 "2026-01-30T22:08:47Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > But that would leave Ukraine to the Russians to do with what they want or Taiwan to mainland China for it to dominate. You say that like they have a problem with it. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/15 "2026-01-30T22:21:06Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Trump is emboldened after he suffered no consequences for war crimes against Venezuelan boats, then kidnapped the president of Venezuela, and recently kidnapped two people in Scotland. So he probably thinks he can do anything he wants, or can at least try and see what happens. Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work, as it didn’t with Greenland, but he just moves on to the next victim. Nailed it in the first post, pretty much. To elaborate on it, I think Trump really wants a signature achievement where he can - Put his name on an enduring achievement, like Seward securing Alaska, or Nixon going to China. - All the better if it lets him swing his little wiener around and act like he got it by being tough - Even more so if it reverses a longstanding MAGA grievance, like Cuba never being subdued by the US, or Jimmy Carter giving the Panama Canal back to the Panamanians. - Goes without saying that he won’t risk Americans coming home in body bags. It would steal his spotlight. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that he’ll stop reaching for these things if he gets his hands on one. But right now he’s grabbing for anything and everything because nothing’s really yielding. Venezuela could’ve been that, but it’s turned out to be something of a damp squib because the oil quality isn’t great, we really didn’t need it, and Trump obviously appointed the VP of the guy he bagged. So he’d love it if Cuba would abandon communism and become US friendly, but if not, he can still have fun just punching them in the balls simply because he’s able. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/16 "2026-01-30T22:21:42Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Even before Trump, a “Bay of Pigs II” has been the ultimate goal of the Republicans. The US has already maintained the economic blockade and “get tough” diplomatic relations with Cuba long after the end of the Cold War, and the death of the Castros, to curry favor with the Cuban-American voting bloc in Dade County. Not just that. Like Iran _they defied us and got away with it._ So we’ve had a decades-long feud with them, and will until we slaughter a lot of them in an invasion, install an America-backed dictator over them and make sure they are brutalized for at least a generation as punishment for _defying us,_ their rightful lords and masters. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/17 "2026-01-30T22:22:26Z")
> [@Dissonance](#): > > Wait, what? This has got to be fake news, TFG would never refer to Russia as a hostile country. He does when it’s convenient, and then forgets about it immediately. He has no durable thoughts or beliefs or opinions, he says whatever gets him through the moment, and we all need to give up on catching him in a hypocrisy. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/18 "2026-01-30T22:35:56Z")
Like I have said before- trump is copying Putin with Putins idea of recovering the Old Russian empire. Greenland, the Canal Zone, Cuba, etc > [@Atamasama](#): > > Cuba is not a wealthy or powerful country and already struggles for resources. Oddly I remember back in the day, Cuba put out two lines of propaganda “we are doing just great under the useless American Embargo” vs “Cuba is hurting and people are staving under the evil Embargo”. But this saber rattling is dangerous and useless. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/19 "2026-01-30T22:45:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Like I have said before- trump is copying Putin with Putins idea of recovering the Old Russian empire. I would not at all be surprised to find that it’s Russia whispering in Trump’s ear about all this. Not by name, via some intermediary. But you’re right, Russia certainly is well-familiar with imperial revanchism because they’re consumed by it, they understand how it appeals to despots like themselves and Trump, and this is a vein of propaganda that they’re well-accustomed to flogging. Russia knows what psychological strings they need to pull in Americans. Check out the [Flag of Novorossiya](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_used_in_Russian-occupied_Ukraine#/media/File:War_Flag_of_Novorussia_(Variant).svg) which was a flag of Russian separatists in Ukraine for a while. Nothing’s ever going to convince me that it’s a purely accidental resemblance between the Russian separatist flag and a similar American separatist flag. > **[Flags used in Russian-occupied Ukraine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_used_in_Russian-occupied_Ukraine#/media/File:War_Flag_of_Novorussia_(Variant).svg)** > > This is a list article about flags that have been used by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine and in areas occupied by Russia and Russian-controlled forces during the Russo-Ukrainian war. > The flag \[ru\] of the Donetsk People's Republic was claimed by the Russian-controlled militias to be based on the flag of the Donetsk–Krivoy Rog Soviet Republic, whom they claim as the "People's Republic's" predecessor. However, there is no evidence of any such flag in 1918, and it is most likely based on the ... ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2026, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207/20 "2026-01-31T00:03:55Z")
Spain and Portugal formally agreed to divide the world in the Treaty of Tordesillas. Trump believes he, Putin and XI have divided the world in the Entirely Implicit Understanding of Mar-a-Lago. 🙄 If an oral contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, as the old joke says, what’s the worth of the unilateral belief of one delusional man that he has formed an unspoken agreement with two more clever men? Pray for the world we never find out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-new-target-cuba/1027207.md?page=2)