File photo: President Donald Trump during an Oval Office interview with NBC News on February 4, 2026, not Thursday’s telephone interview. Official White House photo by Molly Riley / Wikimedia Commons / public domain. Cropped and resized.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would consider using military force against Cuba, responding to a hypothetical question about a short campaign rather than announcing an operation.
During a telephone interview with Hugh Hewitt, Trump said he wanted to address Cuba before leaving office and pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a central figure in his approach.
“I want to get Cuba done before I leave,” Trump said. “And we have a very good, talented guy for Cuba named Marco.”
Hewitt first asked whether Trump would order military force before the end of his term if what the host called “freeing Cuba” required it. Trump responded by discussing his goal, Rubio and conditions on the island.
Hewitt then asked: “So if it took a little bit of military force, a week campaign, you’d be okay with that?”
“I would be, I would certainly consider that, yes,” Trump replied.
The proposed weeklong duration came from Hewitt’s question. Trump did not announce a military timetable, identify a target or say that an operation had been ordered in that exchange.
Trump described Cuba as “essentially a failed” nation and said his administration was watching it closely. Those were his characterizations of conditions on the island.
He said Rubio, whose parents came from Cuba, “would love to do that.” Trump also said he wanted to act for Cubans who had come to the United States after being treated badly.
The remarks leave military force among the options Trump said he would consider. They do not establish that his administration has chosen that option.
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