Trump Says He Would Consider Military Force Against Cuba, Wants Action Before 2029

US President Donald Trump has said he would "certainly consider" using military force against Cuba, stating that he wants to "get Cuba done" before his term ends in 2029.

Speaking by phone on Thursday with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt of Salem News Channel, Trump was asked whether he was weighing an effort at "freeing Cuba" through military intervention. He responded that his administration was "watching it very closely" and described the island as "essentially a failed .. place, nation, whatever you wanna call it".

Politico noted that the remarks marked the first time Trump had attached a timeline to a possible operation against the Cuban government.

Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents are Cuban, "would love to do it". "I'd love to be able to do it for the people, for the Cubans that came and were treated really badly, and they came to America," Trump said, adding that he had won the Cuban vote in Florida by a wide margin.

The comments are the latest in a series of threats from Trump directed at Cuba's authorities. On Monday, he said Cuba "will fall fairly soon" and that the United States would assist it "on a humanitarian basis". In March, as the island's power grid collapsed, he said he believed he would have "the honour of taking Cuba".

In January, Trump placed Cuba under a de facto oil blockade after the US seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and halted Venezuelan oil shipments to the island. He signed an executive order declaring Cuba an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the United States and threatened tariffs on any country that supplied it with fuel.

The blockade has triggered repeated nationwide blackouts along with fuel and food shortages, producing what Cuban officials have called a humanitarian crisis and "collective punishment".

Washington has also layered on additional sanctions, including measures against Cuba's state oil company, President Miguel Diaz-Canel and relatives of former President Raul Castro. A new round announced this month targets 10 people and entities linked to the government, the military and the oil industry. The US has further issued an arrest warrant for Castro.

Officials from both countries have held talks on the blockade, but Cuba's foreign minister said in June there had been "no progress". In March, the head of US Southern Command told senators that American troops were not rehearsing for an invasion of Cuba, while Cuban officials have said the island stands ready for any attack.