Since I doubt Canada would agree under any circumstances to become the 51st US state, and Greenland wouldn’t add much to the US economy, why doesn’t Trump take over Cuba? I’ve never heard him talk about making it a state, only that he can do whatever he wants with it. The only reasons I can think of why he wouldn’t do it are raciest.
Wouldn’t Cuba be a better candidate for taking over than Canada or Greenland, for a variety of reasons? By the way, I didn’t forget about Puerto Rico. That could be done without a military takeover since they are already a possession of the US.
States are waaay to independent. They have icky things like laws and regulations. Easier to just take over, bulldoze, and build resorts and golf courses. See all the trouble Jared and Ivanka with a pesky Albania. States present the same problems.
States have a lot more rights and power than territories do.
According to Google AI, “US states can participate fully in the federal government—including voting in presidential elections and having full representation in Congress—and they possess sovereign powers to govern local affairs without direct Congressional override. In contrast, US territories lack these rights and privileges due to their distinct legal standing”.
For one thing, it would make commercial development much easier for the Trump family enterprise, plus he could brag that HE, as opposed to any other president, saved Cuba from communism. From what I can tell, he’s not a big fan of communists and communism.
You’re making a joke, but the reality is that Cuba is destitute and the people are living in grinding poverty. That means the US would be taking on tremendous debt in order to rebuild infrastructure and to raise the standard of living. Seems like a losing proposition. Puerto Rico has something like a 40% poverty rate, with the average annual income of about $25K, and the same infrastructure problems that Cuba has. I’m actually surprised that the US didn’t kick them loose long ago.
Being fully cynical, he wouldn’t make it a state because he wouldn’t want two senators (likely hostile) voting against him or his interests.
He could get most of the power, and almost no responsibility by making it some sort of protectorate or territory, or some other “new class” with a compliant legislature.
Not to mention, a large portion of his most fanatical supporters would have a hissy fit if he brought in a whole new state of “brown people”.
Take Cuba over, force sweetheart deals for him and his, and loot anything not tied down? 100% he’d do this. Otherwise, I can’t see it happening.
From what I can tell, he doesn’t care about communism either way, and couldn’t adequately explain what communism is, but has just enough savvy to know that attacking communism will win him support.
but what about all the Cuban-Americans in Florida who would return to Cuba then (as they’ve supposedly been wishing for)? That would change the voting patterns in Florida
Given the stranglehold the GOP has shown in the last few elections, and their chosen Governor, I think Trump and MAGA take Florida voters for granted these days.
And I also suspect that many of the Cuban-Americans in Florida that support the GOP would balk if they were asked to actually put forward the money (in the form of taxes) to rebuild Cuba. In many ways I think it’s parallel to MAGA’s view of the America of the 50’s as some of peak period.
IE Cuban-American’s are likely seeing the past through rose-colored glasses of myth based on some sort of return to a semi-mythical homeland as some sort of saviors. But the actual work of rebuilding would, as suggested upthread, take decades of expenses and hard effort - and would MAGA/GOP even try such when part of their key appeal is to keep money here at “home”?
Puerto Rico isn’t a possession of the U.S. It’s an populated unincorporated territory of the U.S. Anyone living in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands is a U.S. citizen. If they move permanently to any of the 50 states or D.C., they can immediately vote in any election there. If a person in the the states or D.C. moves permanently to Puerto Rico, they can vote in some local elections but not for any federal elections. If the federal government chose to make Cuba a part of the U.S. and the Cubans allowed it, it’s likely that they would actually give Cuba the same status as Puerto Rico. Why would Cubans want that? Do you really think that they would really want to be second-class citizens? They would have no input on the policies of the U.S. For that matter, the citizens in D.C. are also second-class citizens, since they have some effect on the presidential elections but not anything on the House or the Senate.
It’s a lot of years since 1959. Most of them wouldn’t go back: most of what the immigrants miss about Cuba is available in Florida, and most of the ones who grew up in the US don’t really want to move to Cuba.
I can see it happening, but only if Cubans requested it. After decades of enmity, blockages, and economic sanctions, I doubt if Cubans feel much like joining their oppressors.
[sarcasm OFF]