President Donald Trump said Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, that the United States has been in contact with Cuba’s government and suggested the situation could “end up” as a friendly takeover of Cuba, a phrase he used while speaking to reporters as he left the White House for a trip to Texas.
Trump did not explain what he meant by a takeover, how it would work, or what legal or diplomatic framework he had in mind. The White House did not immediately provide details in response to press questions, according to reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press.
The comments immediately raised questions about whether the administration is discussing a negotiated political transition, a change in diplomatic recognition, new economic conditions tied to sanctions relief, or something else entirely. Trump described Cuba as being in severe economic distress and said the Cuban government “wants our help,” language he presented as the basis for his remarks.
What Trump Said and What He Did Not Spell Out
Speaking outside the White House before boarding Marine One, Trump said Cuba is “talking” with the U.S. and repeated that the U.S. could “very well” have a “friendly takeover.” Reuters reported he described Cuba as lacking money, oil, and food, and said Secretary of State Marco Rubio is handling the matter “at a very high level.”
Trump offered no timeline, no policy document, and no specific demands or concessions. The phrase “friendly takeover” is not a defined term in U.S. foreign policy or international law, and it is not clear whether Trump was describing a diplomatic agreement, a security arrangement, an economic intervention, or a political outcome he believes might occur if Cuba’s crisis deepens.
The AP reported that Trump’s remarks came in the context of long-running hostility between Washington and Havana, a relationship shaped by the U.S. trade embargo that dates to 1962. That history makes any suggestion of a U.S. “takeover” unusually provocative, even if the president intended the phrase as shorthand for a major shift in relations rather than a literal transfer of sovereignty.
Talks, Denials, and the Role of Rubio
Trump’s comments leaned heavily on the idea that direct communication is underway. Reuters reported that Cuba’s government has said it is not in any high-level talks with the U.S., though it has not fully shut down media reporting about informal contacts involving figures connected to Cuba’s leadership.
Those contacts, as described in U.S. media reports cited by Reuters, have included informal discussions involving Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, identified as the grandson of former Cuban leader Raul Castro. Reuters also reported that U.S. officials close to Rubio met him again during the week of a regional Caribbean Community conference in St. Kitts and Nevis, as reported by the Miami Herald.
At the same time, Cuba has acknowledged at least one line of communication with U.S. officials in recent days, tied to a deadly maritime incident involving a Florida-registered speedboat.
The AP reported that Cuban officials confirmed they were communicating with U.S. officials following that episode, which has increased diplomatic pressure and created a new set of questions about security and law enforcement coordination.
Rubio, a Cuban American who has long taken a hard line against Havana, has also been publicly warning Cuba’s officials since early January. While the administration has not laid out a single comprehensive “Cuba plan” in public, Trump’s remarks on Feb. 27 place Rubio at the center of whatever discussions are underway and tie the issue to the administration’s broader push to apply economic and diplomatic pressure across the region.
