U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview on The Axios Show that a potential U.S. operation in Cuba could resemble the swift capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.
The remarks were made during a June 18 interview with Axios correspondent Marc Caputo, where Trump discussed U.S. military reach in the Western Hemisphere and compared possible operations in Latin America and the Middle East.
When asked whether a Cuba operation could unfold similarly to the Venezuela mission, Trump responded: “Possibly. It's possible.”
He added: “These places are close by. Whereas if you look at Iran, that's a very long trip. You know, I flew to that area a few times and unrelated to this, but you're flying for 18 hours, you're flying for a long time. Venezuela is relatively close and Cuba is a hopscotch.”
Trump also contrasted regional dynamics and military resources, saying Iran presented greater challenges due to its size and distance. Referring to Cuba and Venezuela, he said: “Venezuela has oil. Cuba doesn't. Cuba has a nice property and they have nice shoreline.”
By Sabina Mammadli
