Trump Says US Could 'Take Over' Cuba 'Almost Immediately,' Claims Carrier Would Force Surrender

Source

Doohyun Hwang

Summary

US President Donald Trump said the US could almost immediately take over Cuba and described a military pressure scenario centered on the use of force.
The Trump administration signed an executive order broadly expanding the scope of sanctions targeting the Cuban government, pushing economic pressure to its highest level.
The latest sanctions amount to a tough secondary boycott affecting virtually all economic sectors in Cuba, including energy, defense, metals and mining, financial services and security, as well as third-country companies.

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President Donald Trump said the US could "take over" Cuba "almost immediately."

Trump made the remark during a public speech at The Forum Club on May 1, when he referred to a Cuban-born architect who had worked with him.

Praising the architect's talent, Trump said, "He originally came from a place called Cuba, and we would take that over almost immediately."

He then appeared to back away from the comment. "No, Cuba has problems. We'll first finish one thing we're already doing," he said, referring to Iran. "I like to finish what I'm doing and finish it properly."

Trump also described a military pressure scenario. He said that if the USS Abraham Lincoln, one of the world's largest aircraft carriers, were stationed 100 yards off Cuba's coast on its way back from an operation in Iran, Cuba would say, "Thank you very much. We surrender."

The Trump administration has been ramping up economic pressure on Cuba. Trump signed an executive order on May 1 broadly expanding sanctions targeting the Cuban government.

The sanctions apply to foreign individuals and companies operating in virtually every sector of Cuba's economy, including energy, defense, metals and mining, financial services and security. The measure amounts to a sweeping secondary boycott that could also affect companies in third countries.