'TAKE IT': Trump's UNHINGED Cuba Plot As GRID COLLAPSES
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Donald Trump publicly stated his ambition to 'take Cuba,' viewing it as a personal honor and asserting he could 'do anything I want with it' due to its weakened state.
- ❖The US has imposed an active oil blockade on Cuba, preventing oil shipments from Mexico, Russia, and other nations, leading to a complete collapse of Cuba's power grid.
- ❖This energy crisis is causing widespread humanitarian issues, affecting nursing homes, hospitals, and schools across the island of 9-11 million people.
- ❖US sanctions effectively block Cuba from global trade and investment by designating it a state sponsor of terror, making it impossible for other countries or private entities to do business without risking US sanctions.
- ❖Cuba is turning to China for solar energy solutions, a direct consequence of US policy, which the hosts argue undermines US efforts to curb China's international influence.
- ❖Polling indicates that only 7-8% of Americans, including Trump voters, support using military force against Cuba, and a majority oppose the naval blockade.
- ❖The Cuban government has offered to allow Cuban nationals living abroad (e.g., Miami Cubans) to invest in and own businesses on the island, but US laws (related to confiscated property) prevent this, ironically blocking investment.
Insights
1Trump's Explicit 'Take Cuba' Ambition
Donald Trump openly declared his intention to 'take Cuba' in some form, stating it would be an 'honor' and that he could 'do anything I want with it' due to Cuba being a 'very weakened nation.' He framed this as a personal initiative, distinct from traditional foreign policy objectives.
Trump's direct quote: 'I do believe I'll be the honor of having the honor of taking Cuba. That'd be good. That's a big honor. Taking Cuba in some form. Yeah. Taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it. I think I could do anything I want with it.'
2US Blockade Triggers Cuban Power Grid Collapse
The US has actively blockaded Cuba from receiving oil shipments from various countries, including Mexico and Russia. This policy has resulted in a complete collapse of Cuba's power grid, leading to widespread electricity outages across the island, including significant parts of Havana.
Host states: 'The US is actively blockading the island from getting oil shipments... over the last day or two that has led to a complete collapse of the power grid.' Cuban officials reported 'significant parts of Havana now have... gotten power back on' through solar and rationed oil.
3Humanitarian Crisis Due to Energy Deprivation
The lack of electricity in Cuba, caused by the US blockade, is creating a severe humanitarian crisis. Nursing homes, hospitals, and schools are reaching collapse, and the deprivation of power poses fatal vulnerabilities for vulnerable populations.
Host explains: 'This is leading to nursing homes, hospitals, schools, all reaching collapse. When you deprive an island of some 9 to 11 million people of electricity that inserts itself into the vulnerabilities of people's lives in ways that can be fatal.'
4US Policy Inadvertently Boosts China's Influence
The US blockade, intended to isolate Cuba, is forcing the island nation to seek alternative partners for essential resources. Cuba is now turning to China for solar energy solutions, a development that directly undermines the US goal of reducing China's international power, especially in close proximity to the US.
Host states: 'They're also turning to China for solar... The entire Trump administration is supposed to be undermining the international power of China... A lot of the solar support now... coming from Beijing.' A Washington Post report headline is cited: 'Trump has choked off Cuba's oil supply, China is stepping in with solar.'
5Public Opinion Opposes Force and Blockade
Recent polling indicates minimal public support for using military force to remove the Cuban government (8% of Trump voters, 7% overall) and significant opposition to the naval blockade (56% to 18% opposed overall). A majority of Americans do not view Cuba as an 'extraordinary threat.'
Polling data presented shows: 'The support for use of force basically non-existent. 8% of Trump voters think we should do what Trump wants to do... 7% of total people.' For the naval blockade, '56 to 18 opposed.' On Cuba as an extraordinary threat, 'by a more than two to one margin people say it's not an extraordinary threat.'
Bottom Line
The US policy of designating Cuba as a state sponsor of terror and imposing sanctions effectively prevents any country or private entity from doing business with Cuba without risking US sanctions, thereby blocking global trade and investment, not just US trade.
This means the economic hardship in Cuba is not solely due to its internal communist system, as often argued by US politicians, but is a direct result of comprehensive US-led international isolation. It challenges the narrative that Cuba's economic woes are purely self-inflicted.
A re-evaluation of the 'state sponsor of terror' designation and associated sanctions could unlock significant international trade and investment for Cuba, potentially leading to economic liberalization and improved living conditions, without direct US intervention.
The Cuban government has offered an 'olive branch' allowing Cuban nationals living abroad (e.g., Miami Cubans) to invest in and own businesses on the island, but US laws prevent these investments.
Ironically, US legal frameworks, specifically those related to property confiscated during the Cuban revolution, are preventing the very type of private sector investment that could foster economic change and potentially undermine the existing regime from within. This highlights a self-defeating aspect of US policy.
Reforming US laws to allow Cuban-Americans to invest in Cuba without fear of legal repercussions could create a powerful economic bridge, fostering private enterprise and potentially leading to a more organic, market-driven transformation of the Cuban economy, aligning with long-term US goals of liberalization.
Lessons
- Understand that US foreign policy, particularly economic sanctions and blockades, can have direct and severe humanitarian consequences, as seen with Cuba's collapsing power grid.
- Recognize that aggressive rhetoric and policies, like 'taking' a country, can be counterproductive, potentially pushing targeted nations into alliances with geopolitical rivals (e.g., Cuba turning to China).
- Consider the disconnect between public opinion, which largely favors diplomatic solutions and self-determination, and the hawkish stances sometimes adopted by political leaders regarding foreign intervention.
Quotes
"I do believe I'll be the honor of having the honor of taking Cuba. That'd be good. That's a big honor."
"The US is actively blockading the island from getting oil shipments... that has led to a complete collapse of the power grid."
"If we're so confident that our system is so superior and their theirs is so inferior, why not just let it go and see what happens?"
Q&A
Recent Questions
Related Episodes
Trump 1 Year Approval TANKS Over Economy, ICE Raids
"One year into his second term, Donald Trump's approval ratings on the economy, immigration, and foreign policy have significantly declined, driven by an 'expectation vs. reality' gap in policy implementation and a perceived lack of focus on domestic affordability."
HOT TOPICS | WARNING: Donald Trump's Iran War Chaos Has Hit the Point of No Return!
"Don Lemon delivers a scathing critique of Donald Trump's recent actions, framing them as desperate, unconstitutional attempts to consolidate power, undermine democracy, and distract from economic and foreign policy failures, all while questioning his mental stability."
Trump BEGS For HUMILIATING CEASEFIRE With Iran
"As US-Iran tensions escalate, the hosts dissect Trump's contradictory public statements on a potential ceasefire, expose the dubious nature of peace proposals, and reveal critical military and political developments that signal a deepening conflict."
TRUMP PANICS AS FINANCIAL APOCALYPSE HITS; TRILLIONS LOST; TEHRAN IN ‘NUCLEAR WINTER’ & CHAOS ERUPTS
"The host details a catastrophic global economic and humanitarian crisis stemming from the US-Israel war on Iran, framing Trump as an incompetent, lying leader whose actions are escalating the conflict and destroying the world."