The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that Cuba is «almost on the brink of collapse» and that its economy is in crisis, adding that it will not be able to access oil from Venezuela. Trump commented that «they were getting all their income from Venezuela, from Venezuelan oil.» In his remarks from Air Force One, he opined that it would not be necessary to carry out an operation in Cuba similar to the one that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. Trump asserted: «I don’t think any action is necessary.» He also stated that «many Cubans» lost their lives trying to defend Maduro in Caracas. Regarding Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a television interview, he did not provide a direct answer about the island and mentioned that «the Cuban government represents a big problem.» Rubio told NBC News: «I’m not going to comment to you at this time on our next steps or our policies regarding that. However, I think it’s no secret that we are not big admirers of the Cuban regime.»
