The thought DID occur to me…..
An Island?
Trying to claim the Western Hemisphere as the ‘ Trump shere of Influence’?
Cuba?
And island off the coast of Florida?
But?
Having Problems with the Iran Thing?….
And having ‘HIS’ party members grumbling about ‘Wars’ in general?
Hmmmm?
In the basement Situation Room at the White House and a gilded secure room at Mar-a-Lago are whispers of a Trumpian grand plan that many in Washington and in capitals around the world once considered unthinkable: the toppling of not one, not two, but three autocracies that have tormented generations of American presidents. As U.S. and Israeli missiles fell on Iran this weekend, just weeks after Donald Trump ordered a lightning strike that put Venezuela’s president in a New York City courtroom, Trump is already eyeing his next target: Cuba.
“The president is feeling like, ‘I’m on a roll’; like, ‘This is working,’” one administration official told me.
The president has been open about what he would like to see in Cuba, floating the possibility while speaking with reporters at the White House on Friday of a “friendly takeover” of the island of 11 million people. He said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in discussions with Cuban leaders at a “very high level” to potentially “make a deal.” Rubio also is in contact through unofficial channels with Raúl Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of former President Raúl Castro, Fidel’s brother and successor, according to Axios. Trump has repeatedly emphasized Cuba’s dire economic state, telling reporters last month that “there’s no oil, there’s no money, there’s no anything.” He has also argued that the post-Castro Cuban regime is so fundamentally weak that its own rot would inevitably do the work of an invading army…
More behind a The Atlantic paywall…..
Would they wanna make a deal?
Reality check: Converting Cuba into more of a U.S. ally will be a far harder task than Venezuela, which has an intact political opposition and more of a thriving economy when compared to Cuba’s destitute command-and-control state apparatus.
- The mutual animosity between hardliners in Havana and Miami is deeply ingrained on both sides of the Straits of Florida.
- Last week, Cuban American Republicans in Congress asked Trump to indict Raul Castro in the 1996 shootdown of a plane carrying members of a U.S.-based aid group that helped Cuban rafters. The Trump administration hasn’t responded.
- Rubio has said little publicly about his discussions, but in a Senate hearing last month he pointed out U.S. law aims for regime change if Cuba does not free political prisoners, allow for a free press and does not hold elections.
Trump hasn’t decided on a course of action with Cuba.
- As part of his decision-making process, on display in Venezuela, Trump tasks trusted advisers such as Rubio to present options to him.
- Trump’s paying more attention to settling the wars in Iran and Ukraine than handling Cuba, where Rubio is still assembling options, a source said.
- “Cuba is right now a failed nation, and they don’t even have jet fuel to get for airplanes to take off,” Trump told reporters Monday night on Air Force One.
- “We’re talking to Cuba right now … and they should absolutely make a deal…..
Pete Hegseth ought to hire you to be his Hype-Man. Flavor Flav (who once Tweeted me) has nothing on you.
Not even the current Mrs. Hegseth believes he has as much influence over Trump as you seem to.
Calling it like I see it…..
AGAIN?
Donald J. cannot chew gum and walk at the same time it seems like….
HTF could he be behind all this military stuff?
He actually HATED the military till Pete showed up…
The guy just wants to make MONEY and put his name on things…
“Calling it like I see it.”
You need a new set of glasses.
Talking to Fox News, Senator Markwayne Mullin twice made reference to “President Hegseth.”
He has been reading this blog!
Could Be?
Or?