Trump says Cuba ‘ready to fall’ after Maduro capture

President Donald Trump On Sunday evening, he predicted that Cuba was “ready to fall” after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, warning that Havana could no longer rely on Caracas for security and oil.

Trump said Cuba’s fate was now directly linked to Maduro’s ouster and the collapse of Venezuela’s ability to finance its allies in the region.

Asked if he was considering U.S. action in CubaTrump responded: “I think it’s just going to go down. I don’t think we need to act. It looks like it’s going down. It’s going down for the count.”

The president’s comments during a press briefing with reporters aboard Air Force One come after Saturday’s announcement. capture of Maduro and his wife for charges related to a narcoterrorism conspiracy. The bold operation sent shockwaves through allied governments in the region, with Cuban officials calling for rallies in support of Venezuela and accusing the United States of violating their sovereignty.

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U.S. officials say Cuban security forces have played a central role in keeping Maduro in power. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuban agents effectively ran Venezuela’s domestic intelligence and security operations, including personally guarding Maduro and monitoring loyalty within his government.

“It was the Cubans guarding Maduro,” Rubio said. “He wasn’t guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards. He had Cuban bodyguards.”

The Cuban government acknowledged Sunday that 32 Cuban soldiers and police officers were killed during the U.S. operation in Venezuela, marking the first official death toll released by Havana. Cuban state media said the officers were deployed at the request of Caracas and announced two days of national mourning.

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Trump confirmed the Cuban losses upon his return to Washington.

“A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday,” he said. “There were a lot of deaths on the other side. No deaths on our side.”

Trump also took aim at neighboring Colombia, accusing its leaders of fueling drug trafficking in the United States

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“Colombia is very sick, run by a sick man who likes to make cocaine and sell it to the United States,” Trump said, adding that the country “won’t do it for a very long time.”

He suggested the United States was ready to take action against drug trafficking networks operating by land and sea, citing recent interdictions.

Trump also revived his long-standing focus on Greenland, arguing that the Arctic territory is essential to U.S. security amid growing activity by Russia and China.

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“We need Greenland from a national security standpoint,” Trump said. “Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships everywhere.”

Trump presented Saturday’s operation as part of a broader effort to reaffirm American dominance in the Western Hemisphereinvoking the Monroe Doctrine and warning that hostile regimes can no longer rely on each other to survive.

Maduro is expected to be arraigned Monday in federal court in New York.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.