President Donald Trump said Cuba is “very close to failing,” according to an alert carried by major newswires quoting his remarks to reporters at the White House. Trump did not expand on the comment, but it fits squarely with his long-standing criticism of Cuba’s communist government and its economic model since returning to office in January. Subtle? No. Accurate? Also no surprise.
Cuban leaders quickly rejected the idea that their government is collapsing. President Miguel Díaz-Canel and senior officials blamed U.S. sanctions for the crisis, accusing Washington of trying to “suffocate” the island economically. That explanation has been repeated often—almost like a script—but the economic reality on the ground tells a harsher story.
Cuba is now facing its worst economic crisis in decades, with shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, along with rolling blackouts across the country. Cuban officials themselves have acknowledged the situation, while international aid organizations report worsening living conditions. The economy sharply contracted after the COVID-19 pandemic and has failed to recover, weighed down by declining tourism, reduced remittances, and chronic infrastructure failures, according to Cuba’s own statistical office and international economists. Apparently, central planning doesn’t fix broken power plants.
Trump has repeatedly blamed socialism for Cuba’s collapse, saying during a 2024 campaign event that “communism has done nothing but destroy Cuba.” During his first term, he regularly referred to Cuba as a “failed communist state,” a phrase he continues to use since returning to office. Consistency is underrated these days.
While Havana insists U.S. sanctions are responsible, U.S. officials argue that decades of central planning, corruption, and political repression are the real causes of the disaster. In recent years, Cuba has also seen rare but significant anti-government protests, which were met with mass arrests and long prison sentences, according to human rights groups. When the people protest, the system answers with handcuffs—never a good sign.
The crisis has fueled a massive population exodus. More than 400,000 Cubans have migrated to the United States over the past two fiscal years, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. Trump has tied Cuba’s instability to broader regional migration pressures, saying that “failed socialist regimes drive people out of their countries.”
Cuba had not publicly responded to Trump’s latest comment as of Tuesday, and state media did not immediately mention it. U.S.–Cuba relations remain frozen, with strict sanctions and limited diplomatic engagement still in place. Trump did not indicate whether new actions would follow his statement.
What is clear is this: the warning signs are everywhere. Trump’s message highlights what happens when socialism runs out of excuses and reality takes over. The hope is that truth, accountability, and freedom will eventually replace failure—and that’s a future worth believing in.
