US President Donald Trump has used a campaign rally in Florida, where Cuban Americans are a potent voting bloc, to vow to address his concerns about Cuba once the US war on Iran is settled.
In a 90-minute speech in Fort Myers, Florida on Friday, Trump repeated that more military attacks against Iran may lie ahead as he tries to address the causes of a spike in oil prices that has put Republicans on the defensive ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
With an eye toward the senior Americans who live in Florida, Trump said he planned to spend $250 million to hire at least 5,000 new nurses in elder care facilities all across America.
While the war on Iran has no end in sight, Trump talked tough about Cuba.
Trump, who won 68 percent of the Cuban American vote in Florida in the 2024 election, said American naval forces from Iran will stop at Cuba on the way home.
"We'll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They'll raise up their hands, and then we're going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal," he said.
Secretary of State Rubio, a former US senator from Florida, has been handling much of the Cuba portfolio.
Trump's rally was intended to boost the electoral prospects of Florida Republican Representative Byron Donalds, who is running for governor against Democrat David Jolly.
His speech, part of a series of near-daily campaign rallies in areas where he enjoys strong support, covered a range of topics, including the size of his crowds, renovations to the White House, and his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
Oil blockade
Trump administration has increased pressure on Cuba in Trump’s second term.
In September, he labelled Cuba a "failed state" at the UN General Assembly and said "freedom will be coming to Cuba," prompting a walkout by the Cuban delegation.
Trump has openly stated that his goal is to fundamentally change Cuba's government.
A US oil blockade has put the country under severe strain as it contends with fuel shortages and blackouts exacerbated by failing infrastructure.
UN human rights experts have condemned the oil blockade as a violation of international law.
