Trump’s interest in Cuba is political — and personal : NPR
The US government’s indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro comes as President Trump has also hinted at military action. But Trump’s interest in Cuba is not just political: it is also personal.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The Trump administration’s words and actions toward Cuba have been compared to this year’s strike on Venezuela.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
An American aircraft carrier has arrived in the Caribbean Sea. The Justice Department, which acts according to the president’s preferences, secured the indictment of former Cuban President Raul Castro. And the president says he wants to, quote, “open Cuba” to Americans of Cuban origin.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Other presidents have looked at this issue for 50, 60 years and done something. And it looks like I will be the one to do it.
FADEL: NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez is here. Good morning.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Hello, Leila.
FADEL: So tell us more about why this indictment could be a prelude to a military operation.
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. Ever since U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, I mean, Trump has been threatening military action against Cuba. I mean, he went so far as to say that he can do, quote, “whatever he wants” with the country. And Emily Mendrala, former assistant secretary of state for Cuba coverage, told me that the indictment is part of a pattern of events that really echoes this operation against Maduro.
EMILY MENDRALA: It’s difficult to understand exactly what the consequences of this indictment might be, unless you consider Venezuela and the predicate of the U.S. military action in early January, where there was an indictment of Nicolas Maduro that the U.S. government used as justification to engage in this military action.
ORDOÑEZ: And she says the comparisons also include increased surveillance, high-level meetings between the two countries and a buildup of military assets. Steve, of course, mentioned the aircraft carrier.
FADEL: How different is the situation between Cuba and Venezuela?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, it’s very different. Cuba does not have the same oil reserves as Venezuela. There are no oil reserves. The governance model is different. I spoke to John Bolton, who served as national security advisor in the first Trump administration. And he said: It’s certainly in America’s interest and in the interest of the Cuban people to see the regime removed from power. But he says the Venezuelan model simply won’t work in Cuba. And he questions whether the United States is ready for real regime change in Cuba and what that would actually entail.
JOHN BOLTON: And we need to know that we have the capacity to do it and to have thought about how to do it. In particular, have we actually communicated with people in Cuba who are responsible for the fall of the Castro regime?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, he’s concerned that the United States hasn’t adequately coordinated with dissidents, who would actually bear most of the risk if that happened, including the brunt of the repression if it didn’t work.
FADEL: Does Trump’s interest in Cuba make sense?
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, maybe not politically, because it’s another example of foreign intervention. In this case, there is no oil to obtain and no nuclear weapons to stop. But it makes sense from Trump’s perspective on personal legacy. As we heard at the summit, he likes to say that he did things that his predecessors were incapable of doing. And it’s something his friends and allies, including his Cuban-American supporters and some collaborators, are very interested in. I mean, he lives in Florida and is surrounded by a staff who is passionate about this issue. And of course, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been a driving force in this effort. He is the son of Cuban immigrants and has spent a good part of his career campaigning for regime change in Cuba.
FADEL: That’s White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Thanks, Franco.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Leila.
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