President Donald Trump responded on Sunday to a social media post that suggested Secretary of State Marco Rubio could be president of Cuba, writing that it “sounds good to me!”
The president’s comment came in response to a joking post that was made on X late last week that said “Marco Rubio will be president of Cuba”—a sentiment that has been repeated across social media by some in reference to the many roles Rubio has already accepted while serving as secretary of state.
Last week, Elon Musk made a similar comment in response to a joke X post that said Rubio could end up being “president of Venezuela, governor of Cuba, and the Shah of Iran,” writing that he would “support this 100 [percent].”
Newsweek has reached out to the White House by email on Sunday morning for comment.
Why It Matters
Earlier this month, the United States removed Nicolás Maduro from power in Venezuela in a night-time operation led by the elite Delta Force commandos. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are currently in New York City awaiting trial for charges of narco-terrorism. Maduro, meanwhile, has pleaded not guilty.
In the meantime, Trump said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela and tap its vast oil reserves for sale to other nations. Rubio led the charge on handling the media the day after the raid, appearing on every Sunday talk show to address concerns about the raid and the path the U.S. will take as it navigates the complex aftermath of the regime change.
But the president has now shifted his focus to other countries in the region that he views as problematic, such as Cuba, whom Trump has warned could suffer after Maduro’s removal, as Cuba’s economy has been deeply reliant on subsidized Venezuelan oil.
“Cuba, as you know, is not doing very well right now. That system has not been a very good one for Cuba,” Trump told reporters during a press conference on January 3 as he discussed next steps for Venezuela and U.S. foreign policy in the region. “The people there have suffered for many, many years, and I think Cuba is going to be something we’ll end up talking about, because Cuba is a failing nation right now.”
What To Know
Rubio has worn several hats for the Trump administration since taking his role as secretary of state: He received unanimous support from the Senate in his confirmation vote with a 99-0 count. Trump said of his nomination that Rubio is “a highly respected leader, and a very powerful voice for freedom. He will be a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies, and a fearless warrior who will never back down to our adversaries.”
As the son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio is the first Latino secretary of state and grew up in Miami among Cuban exiles who fled Fidel Castro’s revolution.
Rubio has taken on several roles now beyond his role as the secretary of state: By mid-2025, Rubio already picked up the role of acting national security adviser after Trump’s initial adviser Mike Waltz vacated the role and took a post at the United Nations following the leak of a Signal group chat involving high-level administration officials.
He then accepted the role of acting national archivist and was the administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) until last August.
Now, Trump has suggested that Rubio, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vance, and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, would lead administration efforts to “run” Venezuela following Maduro’s removal.
“It’s a group of all. They have all expertise, different expertise,” Trump told NBC News’ Kristen Welker while maintaining that he personally would remain ultimately in charge.
Rubio last week during his appearances on CBS News’ Face the Nation and NBC News’ Meet the Press said the U.S. would maintain a maximum pressure campaign on Venezuela to eliminate drug trafficking, foreign influence, and oil sector corruption.
“There’s a quarantine right now in which sanctioned oil shipments…we go get a court order, we will seize it,” Rubio said on Face the Nation. “That’s a tremendous amount of leverage that will continue to be in place until we see changes that not just further the national interest of the United States, which is number one, but also that lead to a better future for the people of Venezuela.”
Rubio’s expanding roles have raised some expectation that he could take the lead as candidate for the 2028 Republican nomination, according to Politico. However, Rubio has publicly backed Vice President JD Vance should he decide to run for office.
“If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio told Vanity Fair during an interview last month.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Sunday: “Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of OIL and MONEY from Venezuela. In return, Cuba provided “Security Services” for the last two Venezuelan dictators, BUT NOT ANYMORE! Most of those Cubans are DEAD from last weeks U.S.A. attack, and Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years. Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will. THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT”
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez on X on Sunday: “Cuba is a free, independent, and sovereign nation. No one dictates what we do. Cuba does not aggress; it is aggressed upon by the United States for 66 years, and it does not threaten; it prepares, ready to defend the Homeland to the last drop of blood.”
He continued: “Those who blame the Revolution for the severe economic shortages we suffer should hold their tongues out of shame. Because they know it and acknowledge it: they are the fruit of the draconian measures of extreme strangulation that the U.S. has been applying to us for six decades and now threatens to surpass.
“They have no moral authority to point fingers at Cuba on anything, absolutely anything, those who turn everything into a business, even human lives. Those who today hysterically drain their rage against our nation do so sick with fury over this people’s sovereign decision to choose its political model.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his January 4 appearance on Meet the Press: “This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live—and we’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States.”
What Happens Next
The combination of oil embargoes and hardline rhetoric suggests a period of acute economic and political uncertainty for Cuba.
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