Trump, Rubio call for new Cuban leaders as latest blackout underscores
deepening economic crisis
[March 18, 2026]
By MILEXSY DURÁN
HAVANA (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday pledged imminent
action against Cuba's socialist government as his moves against the
island bring the U.S.' longtime opponent deeper into crisis.
A day after Trump’s sanctions on Venezuela, including a stop to vital
oil exports to Cuba, contributed to Cuba’s latest nationwide blackout,
Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both said that the
administration sees the island nation as the next country where the U.S.
can expand its influence.
"Cuba right now is in very bad shape,” Trump said.
“And we’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon,” he added.
Until recently, Trump’s comments on change in Cuba might have been
considered remarkable. But they come after his administration’s military
raid that captured then-President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and the
launch of U.S. military strikes against Iran.
The Trump administration is looking for President Miguel Díaz-Canel to
leave as the U.S. continues negotiating with the Cuban government,
according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge of talks
between Washington and Havana. No detail has been offered about who the
administration might like to see come to power.
Many Cubans do not believe that Díaz-Canel holds much power in Cuba,
anyway, as opposed to revolutionary founding father Raúl Castro and his
family.
With little reliable information trickling out of Havana or Washington,
experts are watching closely for clues about what's in the works.
“Some pieces of this story as they’re trickling out, don’t add up to
me,” said Michael Bustamante, a Cuba expert and associate professor of
history at the University of Miami. “I can’t quite figure out what the
end game is here for either side.”
Rubio says Cuba's economy doesn't work and its government can't fix
it
Electricity was slowly being restored to hospitals and some homes
Tuesday afternoon, but officials warned that the crumbling power network
could fail again.
The government blames its woes on a U.S. energy blockade after Trump in
January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to
Cuba.
Rubio, who is of Cuban heritage, said the island “has an economy that
doesn’t work in a political and governmental system. They can’t fix it.”
A Cuban official said Monday that Cuba is open to trading with U.S.
companies, but such promises have been made before.
“So they have to change dramatically,” Rubio said. “What they announced
yesterday is not dramatic enough. It’s not going to fix it.”
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A girl plays in the doorway of the building where there is an art
installation related to the Cuban Revolution, during a blackout in
Havana, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Trump has raised the possibility of a ‘friendly takeover’
The Trump administration is also demanding that Cuba release
political prisoners and move toward political and economic
liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions. Trump has also
raised the possibility of a “friendly takeover of Cuba.”
While Cuba produces 40% of its petroleum and has been generating its
own power, it hasn’t been sufficient to meet demand as its aging
electric grid continues to crumble.
Cuba's Ministry of Energy and Mines said on X that the island had
restored the electrical system in the western town of Pinar del Rio
and the southeastern province of Holguin and that some
“microsystems” were beginning to operate in various territories.
State-owned media reported that by late Monday power had been
restored to 5% of residents in the capital, Havana, representing
some 42,000 customers.
Without power, food spoils as Cubans experience widespread misery
U.S. sanctions and economic pressure have exasperated the misery
many Cubans are experiencing.
Pedro Rámos, a 75-year-old retired mechanic who shares a modest
apartment in Old Havana with his wife, was boiling three pieces of
chicken in an attempt to save them from spoiling with the power out.
“I want to see if we can rescue some food,” he said. “Two people
older than 70 live here. ... This is terrible.”
“The power outages are driving me crazy,” said 48-year-old Dalba
Obiedo. “Last night I fell down a 27-step staircase. Now I have to
have surgery on my jaw. I fell because the lights went out.”
Havana resident Tomás David Velázquez Felipe, 61, said the
relentless outages make him think that Cubans who can should just
pack up and leave the island. “What little we have to eat spoils,”
he said. “Our people are too old to keep suffering.”
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Michael Weissenstein in New York and Seung Min Kim, Aamer Madhani
and Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.
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