US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Cuba’s leadership that it should “at least be concerned” following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by US forces during an attack carried out earlier the same day.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Rubio said Cuba was being run by “incompetent, senile people—and in some cases simply incompetent ones.” He claimed that Maduro’s security detail and Venezuela’s “entire intelligence service” were “overrun with Cubans,” and that “this poor island has effectively taken over Venezuela.”
“In many cases, one of the main problems Venezuelans face is that they have to declare independence from Cuba,” Rubio added. According to him, Havana “tried to colonize the country from a security standpoint.” “So yes, if I lived in Havana and were in government, I would at least be a little concerned,” he said.
Before Rubio spoke, Donald Trump said his administration “wants to surround itself with good neighbors,” but added that Cuba “is not doing very well right now” and is a “failing state.” He said the situation was “in many ways similar” to what is unfolding around Venezuela. “We want to help the people of Cuba, but we also want to help the people who were forced to leave Cuba and are living in this country,” Trump said.
Cuban authorities condemned the strikes and the capture of the Venezuelan leader. Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, wrote on the social media platform X that Havana condemns US “military aggression” “against Venezuela and the kidnapping of its legitimate president, Nicolás Maduro Moros, and his wife.”
The United States struck Venezuela early on January 3. Explosions were reported in Caracas and three other states. Delta Force special-operations troops entered Maduro’s residence and captured him and his wife, Cilia Flores. Trump said Maduro and Flores were aboard the USS Iwo Jima and en route to New York, where they are to stand trial.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi said that both have been charged in the Southern District of New York. Maduro and Flores face counts including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, unlawful possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess such weapons against the United States.
At a press conference, Trump said that the United States would “govern” Venezuela until a “safe” transfer of power becomes possible. “We will govern it together with a group of people and ensure that governance is done properly,” he said. “We will do everything to make sure the people of Venezuela are protected—and that those whom this thug forced to leave the country are also taken care of.”
A number of Democrats in Congress criticized the operation, saying it was unlawful without lawmakers’ approval. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Maduro an “illegitimate dictator,” but said his capture “without congressional authorization and without a credible plan for what comes next is reckless.”