Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday warned Cuba’s leadership that it should be uneasy following a dramatic U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, earlier in the day.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, Rubio sharply criticized the Cuban government and accused Havana of exerting deep influence over Venezuela’s security apparatus. He said Maduro’s personal guards and Venezuela’s intelligence services were heavily staffed by Cubans, arguing that Cuba had effectively taken control of the country’s internal security.
“In some cases, one of the biggest problems Venezuelans have is they have to declare independence from Cuba,” Rubio said. “They tried to basically colonize it from a security standpoint.” He added that if he were a member of Cuba’s government, he would be “concerned at least a little bit” following the U.S. action.
Rubio also described Cuba as being “run by incompetent, senile men,” accusing the island nation of mismanagement while maintaining outsized influence abroad, particularly in Venezuela.
President Trump echoed criticism of Cuba earlier in the day, saying his administration wants to “surround ourselves with good neighbors,” while describing Cuba as “not doing very well right now” and a “failing nation.” Trump said the United States wants to help the Cuban people, as well as those who have fled the country and now live in the U.S.
The comments came after U.S. forces carried out strikes in Venezuela early Saturday. Explosions were reported in Caracas and in three other Venezuelan states. According to U.S. officials, Delta Force troops entered Maduro’s compound and captured both Maduro and Flores.
Trump said the couple was transported aboard the USS Iwo Jima and is en route to New York, where they will face criminal charges. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that Maduro and Flores were indicted in the Southern District of New York on charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons-related offenses involving machineguns and destructive devices.
Trump also declared that the United States would temporarily assume control over Venezuela during a transition period, saying the goal was to stabilize the country and care for its citizens, including those displaced under Maduro’s rule.
Cuban officials strongly condemned the U.S. operation. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla wrote on the social platform X that Cuba denounced what he described as U.S. “military aggression” against Venezuela and the “kidnapping of its legitimate President Nicolás Maduro Moros and his wife.”
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