FORT MYERS, Florida — US President Donald Trump on Friday vowed to address his concerns about Cuba once the Iran war is settled, telling a campaign rally in Florida that American naval forces returning from Iran would stop at the communist-run island on the way home, Reuters reported.
"We'll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran," Trump said, according to Reuters. "We'll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They'll raise up their hands, and then we're going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal," he said, referring to his secretary of state, who has been handling much of the Cuba portfolio.
The Associated Press also reported the remarks from the 90-minute rally, which was held to boost Florida Republican Representative Byron Donalds, who is running for governor. Trump won 68% of the Cuban American vote in Florida in the 2024 election, Reuters noted, and Cuban Americans are a potent voting bloc in the state.
Havana answered within hours. Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez rejected the remarks in a post on X, writing: "We reject every threat related to US ambitions toward Cuba. Our coastline is full of beautiful beaches, but there are also razor-sharp limestone spikes, an inhospitable environment for those who make it to our shores with hostile purposes and lust for domination," ANI reported. He used the hashtag #CubaIsNotAThreat.
Source: ANI — Trump Cuba remarks and Rodríguez response, Oct 23-24, 2026
Earlier the same day, Rubio had himself urged Cubans seeking political change to form what he called a discreet partnership with the CIA, writing on X: "To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba – now is the time," ANI and Fox News reported.
Reuters described the rally remarks as part of a pattern of pressure on Cuba's communist government after the United States ousted the leader of Venezuela early this year. Trump gave no policy detail, timetable or terms for the 'deal' he described, and no US military movement toward Cuba was reported.
Source: Reuters — In Florida, Trump vows to deal with Cuba after Iran settled
Washington's pressure on Havana has been building for months, including at the United Nations, where the US recently fought Cuba over the annual embargo vote. Read: Cuba, US threats and the UN embargo vote
Trump's Cuba lines were rally remarks, not a policy announcement: no order, plan or deadline was given, and Havana's foreign minister has publicly rejected them. What is new is the pairing — a naval 'stopover' scenario from the president, a CIA appeal from his secretary of state the same day, and a formal Cuban rejection within hours.
The Cuba comments came in the same speech in which Trump repeated that more military action against Iran may lie ahead, as rising oil prices put Republicans on the defensive ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, Reuters reported.