Trump says 'Cuba's at the end of the line' at Shield of the Americas summit

DORAL, FLORIDA: President Donald Trump joined leaders representing more than a dozen South American countries on Saturday, March 7, at the “Shield of the Americas” summit.

During the summit, Trump warned Cuba to cooperate with the United States while also boasting about US military actions in Venezuela and Iran. He also issued warnings against Latin American adversaries while outlining regional cooperation efforts.

Trump’s remarks on Cuba at Shield of the Americas summit

During his remarks at the summit, Trump strongly criticized Cuba’s current situation and government. He said, “Cuba's at the end of the line, they're very much at the end of the line.” He further added that the country has “no money,” “no oil,” and follows what he described as “a bad philosophy” under “a bad regime that's been bad for a long time.”

The commander-in-chief said Cuba had previously relied on support from Venezuela, stating, “They used to get the money from Venezuela, they get the oil from Venezuela, but they don't have any money from Venezuela, they don't have any oil."

He also described severe shortages in the country, saying that travelers arriving in Cuba cannot even obtain fuel to leave. “People can't even… they land in Cuba, they can't get gasoline to fly out, they have to leave their planes behind,” he stated.

Trump also said that negotiations were taking place between Cuban representatives and members of the US administration. “They want to negotiate, and they are negotiating with Marco [Rubio] and myself and some others,” he said, adding that he believed an agreement could be reached easily.

Reflecting on how long the issue has been discussed in the US, Trump said he had been hearing about Cuba for decades. “For 50 years, I've been hearing… as a little boy I'd be hearing about Cuba,” he said, again describing the country as “a disaster.”

He concluded by stating that Cuba was in “its last moments of life as it was,” but added that it “will have a great new life.”

Trump announces coalition and military action against cartels

The White House said the coalition formed at the summit is committed to cooperating with the US in confronting drug cartels and securing the American border. The announcement followed the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Among the invited attendees were Argentinian President Javier Milei, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Chilean President-elect Jose Antonio Kast, and Honduran President Tito Asfura.

During the event, Trump spoke about the strength of the US military, saying, “We're doing something. I built the military and rebuilt it and made it really strong.” He added that his first administration had a successful term and that the military strength developed during that time is now being used.

At the summit, Trump also signed a proclamation formally launching the “Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.” He said the central goal of the agreement is to work together against criminal networks.

Trump said, “The heart of our agreement is a commitment to using lethal military force to destroy the sinister cartels and te**orist networks once and for all, We'll get rid of them. We need your help.”