‘We’ll finish one first’: Trump’s Cuba takeover joke goes viral amid new sanctions

During a keynote speech at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches on Friday, President Donald Trump hinted that the US Navy might target Cuba once operations in Iran are complete. He joked about the military “taking over” the island “almost immediately.”

The President signed a sweeping executive order on May 1, 2026, targeting critical pillars of the Cuban economy, including energy, defense, mining, and financial services.

The order also threatens foreign banks and companies that do business with Havana. This move follows the January 2023 US operation that ousted Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

Trump accused Cuba of protecting Maduro’s alleged drug-trafficking operations in exchange for oil supplies that the US has since cut off. A US-led oil embargo has left Cuba with dire fuel shortages, paralyzing the healthcare sector and national infrastructure. The UN has issued multiple warnings that the island is on the brink of a major humanitarian disaster.

“We firmly reject the recent unilateral coercive measures adopted by the United States government. These actions demonstrate an intention to impose, once again, collective punishment on the Cuban people,” wrote Parilla in a post on X.

“It is no coincidence that these measures were announced on May 1, the very day that millions of Cubans took to the streets to denounce the US blockade and the energy siege.”

Parilla also criticized the Trump administration for foreign meddling under the guise of fighting injustices and protecting democracy while repressing its own people domestically.

While the US government represses its own people in the streets, it seeks to punish ours, who are heroically resisting the US imperialism’s attacks,” he wrote.

"These measures are extraterritorial in nature and violate the United Nations Charter. The US has no right whatsoever to impose measures against Cuba or against third countries or entities.”

Washington has spent months urging Cuban leadership to enter negotiations, issuing a stark warning that they must engage “before it is too late.”

President Miguel Diaz-Canel has repeatedly refused to negotiate, characterizing the US approach as “hostile terms.”

Havana maintains that talks will only occur if they are based on mutual respect and equal footing, specifically demanding no threats to Cuba’s sovereignty or territorial integrity.