Trump Declares Cuba Is ‘Ready to Fall’ After Capture of Venezuela’s Maduro: ‘It’s Going Down for the Count’

(Screengrab via White House/X)

President Donald Trump has declared that Cuba’s communist government is “ready to fall” after the capture and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One late Sunday, the president framed Maduro’s capture as a strategic turning point in the Western Hemisphere, warning Cuba can no longer rely on Caracas for oil, money, or security.

“Cuba is ready to fall,” he said. “I don’t know if they’re going to hold out.”

When asked whether the White House was preparing military action against the country, Trump dismissed the need: “I think it’s just going to fall. I don’t think we need any action. Looks like it’s going down. It’s going down for the count. You ever watch a fight? They go down for the count, and Cuba looks like it’s going down.”

The comments followed Saturday’s operation that resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who now face federal charges in New York linked to an alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy.

Following the operation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuban operatives personally guarded the embattled leader. Cuba confirmed on Sunday that 32 of its military and police personnel were killed during the operation, announcing two days of national mourning.

Trump confirmed the reports when speaking to reporters on Air Force One: “A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday. There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”

Also on the flight, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) praised Trump’s intervention and also warned that Cuba’s “days are numbered.”

“Just wait for Cuba. Cuba is a communist dictatorship that has killed priests and nuns, they have preyed on their own people, their days are numbered,” Graham said.

He added: “We’re going to wake up one day, I hope in 2026, in our backyard, we’re going to have allies in these countries doing business with America, not narco-terrorist dictators killing Americans.”

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!