Rubio Urges Cubans to Work Discreetly With the CIA for Political Change as Trump Floats Sending Him to Cuba
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Cubans seeking political change to discreetly cooperate with the CIA, as President Donald Trump separately floated sending Rubio to the communist-run island to negotiate a deal.
'To those who seek to create positive change in Cuba - now is the time,' Rubio wrote in a post on X. 'The disappointment of failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of only a few; seize this opportunity to create the change you desire through a discrete partnership with the CIA.'
Rubio's message explicitly encouraged Cubans to work with the US intelligence agency, but it did not identify a specific operation or explain what such cooperation would involve.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has long advocated for a tougher US approach toward the Cuban government. The former Florida senator has been a prominent critic of the communist leadership in Havana and opposed efforts to normalize relations without political reforms.
Trump, meanwhile, raised the possibility of US ships stopping near Cuba while discussing Iran during a midterm rally in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday, teasing that US warships could stop near Cuba after Iran.
'Don't worry. We'll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran with it. We'll do a little stopover now. We'll do a little stopover,' Trump told the crowd. 'Actually, what we're going to do with Cuba is we're going to come back from Iran. Those beautiful ships will pass Cuba. We'll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They'll raise up their hands.'
Trump then suggested Rubio could handle negotiations with the communist-run island. 'And then we're going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal. We'll have Marco. Marco. We don't even have to stop. We could just put him in there and he'll figure it out. He's a great guy.'
Trump did not provide details about any proposed agreement with Cuba or indicate whether his remarks reflected an actual military or diplomatic plan. His comments therefore remain at the level of rally remarks.
For comment on the matter, the CIA, the State Department, the White House and the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC, were contacted. The report did not mention any response to those approaches.
Together, the Secretary of State's call for cooperation with the CIA and the President's remarks about stopping ships and sending in Rubio on the same day underline Washington's hardline tone on Cuba. No specific plan or outline of a deal has yet been made public, so what happens next remains to be seen.
