Regime change in Cuba could benefit wealthy Republicans [View all]

Regime change in Cuba could benefit wealthy Republicans
Business and commerce are driving Donald Trump and Marco Rubio's desire to "take" Cuba

By Heather Digby Parton
Columnist
Published March 24, 2026 9:05AM (EDT)


(Salon) Even for Donald Trump, who is in the middle of a conquistador phase, the declaration was unusually crude. “I do believe I’ll be having the honor of taking Cuba,” he said in the Oval Office on March 16. “Whether I free it, take it — I think I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation right now.”

The president is correct: Cuba is in a fragile state at the moment. But that’s mostly due to Trump, who instituted an oil blockade against the island nation in the wake of January’s Venezuela operation. Cuba is now on the verge of collapse — and the Cuban people are suffering greatly because of it.

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The New York Times reported the administration is seeking to oust President Miguel Díaz-Canel from power while allowing the island’s Communist government to remain in place — a repeat of what they allowed in Venezuela — and giving Trump a “symbolic win.” As his botched Iran “excursion” has begun to falter, taking Cuba would be a soothing salve for the president’s ego.

Significantly, it could also be a boon for rich Republicans. While the Times reported that the administration could keep “the repressive Communist government that has ruled Cuba for more than 65 years” in place with a new leader — in effect, following the model Trump set in Venezuela — the Atlantic noted that plans could also give “wealthy Republican donors with Cuban ancestry” leadership roles in a transition or even permanent government. Current discussions between the U.S. and Cuban governments are said to include “restitution for owners of property seized by the Cuban government” during the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power — many of those wealthy expatriates settled in south Florida and became Republicans — and “securing broad U.S. latitude to invest, develop, and ultimately capitalize on Cuba’s under developed cities and beaches.” ..................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/03/24/regime-change-in-cuba-could-benefit-wealthy-republicans/