January 5th, 2026 - After Venezuela’s Fall, Trump Says Cuba Is Next to Collapse

Shortly after U.S. forces captured Venezuela’s leader, President Trump suggested that Cuba could be the next domino to fall, signaling that decades of Communist rule on the island may be nearing an end. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, President Trump said Cuba had lost its primary economic lifeline now that Venezuela was no longer supplying it with subsidized oil.

“Cuba looks like it’s ready to fall,” President Trump said, arguing that Havana’s economy had depended heavily on Venezuelan oil revenues. When asked whether U.S. military action against Cuba was possible, he downplayed the need for intervention, saying the regime appeared to be collapsing under its own weight.

The question of whether Washington will directly move against Cuba remains open. President Trump has surrounded himself with officials who have long taken a hard line on Havana, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has consistently argued that weakening Venezuela would inevitably undermine Cuba’s Communist government.

Cuba now finds itself in an increasingly fragile position. With Venezuela’s leadership removed, Havana has lost a key political ally and economic partner at a time when it is already facing severe shortages, rolling blackouts and public frustration. Venezuelan oil had helped keep Cuba’s power grid running and provided a source of revenue through resale on global markets.

U.S. pressure may already be achieving results without further escalation. The Trump administration’s aggressive blockade of Venezuelan oil shipments has sharply reduced supplies reaching Cuba, deepening the island’s economic strain. Energy experts warn that without Venezuelan oil, Cuba faces a near-total breakdown of basic services.

Cuban officials responded with alarm. At an emergency regional meeting, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez warned that Venezuela’s collapse posed an “existential” threat to Cuba and urged Latin American nations to resist U.S. influence. But analysts say Cuba has few viable options left as its economy continues to contract.

Despite the growing crisis, even many Cubans who favor reform oppose outside intervention. The island has already seen a mass exodus, with roughly a million people leaving since 2021. For now, experts say President Trump is likely to stay focused on stabilizing Venezuela, while Cuba faces mounting pressure to confront its own economic failures and choose reform from within.

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster) - Marginalia (noun, mahr-juh-NAY-lee-uh) - Marginalia is a plural noun that refers to notes or other marks written in the margins of a text, and also to nonessential matters or items.

Example: I loved flipping through my literature textbooks to find the marginalia left behind by former students.

Image credit: Unsplash