# Why not make Cuba our 51st state? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [July 11, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600 "2026-07-11T18:49:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/1 "2026-07-11T18:49:34Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/2 "2026-07-11T20:52:55Z")
Because forcing a population to involuntarily change nationality is deeply immoral? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/3 "2026-07-11T20:55:21Z")
I don’t think morality factors into US foreign policy, especially these days. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/4 "2026-07-11T21:14:45Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > 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. Tell me why Puerto Rico is a possession rather than a state, and then tell me why folks would want Cuba to be a state rather than a possession. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/5 "2026-07-11T21:23:20Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/6 "2026-07-11T21:47:43Z")
Why would Trump want to make a shithole country a part of the mighty U.S.? Especially one that doesn’t have any oil. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/7 "2026-07-11T21:48:23Z")
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”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/8 "2026-07-11T21:51:15Z")
I’m honestly not sure which of us is missing the other’s point. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/9 "2026-07-11T21:51:39Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/10 "2026-07-11T21:56:51Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Why would Trump want to make a shithole country a part of the mighty U.S.? Especially one that doesn’t have any oil. 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. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/11 "2026-07-11T21:59:36Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/12 "2026-07-11T22:06:32Z")
Because invading Cuba means other countries can just invade too? [sarcasm ON] Remember the US can only invade a country if Trump knows where it is 😨 [sarcasm OFF] ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/13 "2026-07-11T23:17:30Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > From what I can tell, he’s not a big fan of communists and communism. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/14 "2026-07-12T01:28:04Z")
Has Trump figured out how many stars he has to add to the flag so they can be arranged into the shape of his head? ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/15 "2026-07-12T01:40:06Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/16 "2026-07-12T01:45:51Z")
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”? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/17 "2026-07-12T01:50:39Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/18 "2026-07-12T02:52:01Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > but what about all the Cuban-Americans in Florida who would return to Cuba then (as they’ve supposedly been wishing for)? That 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. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/19 "2026-07-12T03:03:40Z")
Can’t I ever avoid typos? “an populated” should “a populated”. “in the the states” should be “in the states”. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2026, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600/20 "2026-07-12T04:52:19Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-make-cuba-our-51st-state/1031600.md?page=2)