President Donald Trump on Thursday declared a national emergency over Cuba, accusing the communist regime of aligning itself with hostile foreign powers and terrorist groups—and announcing a new strategy to punish countries that keep Havana’s lights on with oil. Apparently, siding with America’s enemies now comes with a price tag.
In an executive order, Trump stated that the policies and actions of the Cuban government represent “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to U.S. national security and foreign policy. According to the order, this threat originates in whole or in substantial part outside the United States, which is a polite way of saying Cuba has been making some very questionable friends.
To counter that threat, Trump ordered the creation of a tariff mechanism allowing the United States to impose additional duties on imports from foreign countries that “directly or indirectly sell or otherwise provide any oil to Cuba.” In other words, if you fuel the regime, you may start paying more to do business with America. Simple math.
The White House said the move marks a significant escalation in pressure on the Cuban government and is designed to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests. In the order, Trump accused Cuba of aligning with and supporting “numerous hostile countries, transnational terrorist groups, and malign actors adverse to the United States,” specifically naming Russia, China, Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah. That’s quite a guest list.
The administration also pointed out that Cuba hosts Russia’s largest overseas signals intelligence facility, which attempts to steal sensitive U.S. national security information. The order further states that Cuba continues to deepen intelligence and defense cooperation with China. Because when you’re a communist dictatorship, why not collect all the worst alliances in one place?
According to the order, Cuba also “welcomes transnational terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas.” Trump cited the regime’s human rights record as well, accusing it of persecuting and torturing political opponents, denying free speech and press freedoms, and retaliating against families of political prisoners who protest peacefully. Freedom, apparently, is still not on the menu in Havana.
“The United States has zero tolerance for the depredations of the communist Cuban regime,” Trump said in the order, adding that his administration will act to hold the regime accountable while supporting the Cuban people’s aspirations for a free and democratic society. Translation: the problem is the regime, not the people trapped under it.
Under the executive order, the Commerce Department will determine whether a foreign country is supplying oil to Cuba, either directly or through intermediaries. The State Department, working with Treasury, Homeland Security, Commerce, and the U.S. Trade Representative, will then decide whether tariffs should be imposed and how steep they should be. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is tasked with monitoring the national emergency and reporting to Congress, while the Commerce Department will continue tracking which countries are supplying oil to the island.
In a fact sheet, the White House said the order is meant to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy from the Cuban regime’s “malign actions and policies,” calling it part of Trump’s broader effort to confront regimes that threaten American interests.
The administration also noted that this action builds on Trump’s first-term Cuba policy, which reversed Obama-era engagement and reinstated tougher measures against the communist government.
Once again, President Trump is making it clear that the United States will not look the other way when hostile regimes cozy up to America’s enemies and abuse their own people. Standing firm against communism and terrorism is not just foreign policy—it’s common sense. And for the Cuban people hoping for freedom, this move sends a strong and hopeful signal that they have not been forgotten.
