Trump, Rubio call for new Cuban leaders as blackout underscores deepening economic crisis

HAVANA, March 18, (AP): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday pledged imminent action against Cuba's socialist government as his moves against the island bring the US' longtime opponent deeper into crisis. A day after Trump’s sanctions on Venezuela, including a stop to vital oil exports to Cuba, contributed to Cuba’s latest nationwide blackout, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio both said that the administration sees the island nation as the next country where the US can expand its influence.

"Cuba right now is in very bad shape,” Trump said. "And we’ll be doing something with Cuba very soon,” he added. Until recently, Trump’s comments on change in Cuba might have been considered remarkable. But they come after his administration’s military raid that captured then-President Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and the launch of US military strikes against Iran.

The Trump administration is looking for President Miguel Díaz-Canel to leave as the US continues negotiating with the Cuban government, according to a U.S. official and a source with knowledge of talks between Washington and Havana. No detail has been offered about who the administration might like to see come to power.

Many Cubans do not believe that Díaz-Canel holds much power in Cuba, anyway, as opposed to revolutionary founding father Raúl Castro and his family. With little reliable information trickling out of Havana or Washington, experts are watching closely for clues about what's in the works. "Some pieces of this story as they’re trickling out, don’t add up to me,” said Michael Bustamante, a Cuba expert and associate professor of history at the University of Miami.

"I can’t quite figure out what the end game is here for either side.” Electricity was slowly being restored to hospitals and some homes Tuesday afternoon, but officials warned that the crumbling power network could fail again. The government blames its woes on a US energy blockade after Trump in January warned of tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba.

Rubio, who is of Cuban heritage, said the island "has an economy that doesn’t work in a political and governmental system. They can’t fix it.” A Cuban official said Monday that Cuba is open to trading with U.S. companies, but such promises have been made before. "So they have to change dramatically,” Rubio said. "What they announced yesterday is not dramatic enough. It’s not going to fix it.”

The Trump administration is also demanding that Cuba release political prisoners and move toward political and economic liberalization in return for a lifting of sanctions. Trump has also raised the possibility of a "friendly takeover of Cuba.” While Cuba produces 40% of its petroleum and has been generating its own power, it hasn’t been sufficient to meet demand as its aging electric grid continues to crumble.