<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/donald-trump" rel="" target="" title="Donald Trump"><span>Donald Trump</span></a><span> has said he will be "taking </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/cuba" rel="" target="" title="Cuba"><span>Cuba</span></a><span>", in the latest escalation of his rhetoric on the island nation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Speaking in the Oval Office earlier today, the US president said he believed "I'll be having the honour of taking Cuba".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"That's a big honour. Taking Cuba in some form," he said.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-neal-dunn-terminal-diagnosis-dead-by-june-mike-johnson-usa-politics-news/b598dc61-43f2-4a3a-aaa4-d522b0154a3e"><strong><span>'Dead by June': Trump announces congressman's private diagnosis</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Whether I free it, take it… I think I can do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He did not specify whether his ambitions would require military action including ground troops.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They're a very weakened nation right now," Trump said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-cuba-taking-venezuela-usa-politics-news/ad77bf7e-441b-40fc-b041-37829374c809" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They were for a long time very violent, very violent leaders. (Fidel) Castro was a very violent leader."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His comments come as the </span><em><span>New York Times</span></em><span> reports the White House is actively seeking to push Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel from office.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The newspaper reported the Trump administration would not seek wholesale change to the Caribbean country's government.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/kharg-island-military-strike-donald-trump-us-middle-east-iran-war-latest-news/50913729-78f2-4826-badf-459faff01eec"><strong><span>Trump announces 'one of the most powerful bombing raids in history'</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But removing Diaz-Canel would be seen as a symbolic win, similar to the US raid that led to the arrest of </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-usa-venezuela-nicolas-maduro-cuba-warning/4dbceeef-4e57-4e07-b152-d4e2ba1e9bdd" rel="" target="" title="Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro"><span>Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Trump spoke about the appeal of taking control of </span><a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/destinations" rel="" target="" title="Cuba from a tourism perspective"><span>Cuba from a tourism perspective</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Cuba, in its own way - tourism and everything else - it's a beautiful island, great weather," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They're not in a hurricane zone, which is nice for a change, you know? </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They won't be asking us for money for hurricanes every week."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Cuba is </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/hurricane-melissa-death-toll-jumps-to-45/0cce2525-b792-4676-8514-b318fc64fce3" rel="" target="" title="very much in a hurricane zone"><span>very much in a hurricane zone</span></a><span>, but is renowned for its capacity to minimise fatalities through coordinated evacuations.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-taco-wall-street-chickens-out-financial-market-usa-news/a92a416d-13cd-49cf-96ac-62007f7cf5a2"><strong><span>The four-letter acronym that could pull Trump out of Iran</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The country is now in a near-total electrical blackout as a consequence of a US oil blockade.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Cuba previously powered its grid with </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/venezuela" rel="" target="" title="Venezuelan oil"><span>Venezuelan oil</span></a><span>, which has been </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/venezuela-latest-news-nicolas-maduro-donald-trump-maria-corina-machado-delcy-rodriguez/a74cd551-3e25-463b-8ab4-b1cda932bf50" rel="" target="" title="cut off since Maduro was ousted"><span>cut off since Maduro was ousted</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ten days ago, Trump told CNN that </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-says-cuba-to-fall-soon/53ecb406-2629-415d-9b60-cefab14412af" rel="" target="" title='Cuba was going to fall "pretty soon"'><span>Cuba was going to fall "pretty soon"</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"They want to make a deal, and so I'm going to put Marco [Rubio] over there and we'll see how that works out," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We're really focused on this one right now."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Rubio, the US Secretary of State, is the son of Cuban migrants.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Cuba has had an adversarial relationship with the US since the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/ex-cuban-leader-fidel-castro-dies-aged-90/abc9a635-825d-483f-8d70-1702ad0a34bd" rel="" target="" title="1959 Revolution"><span>1959 Revolution</span></a><span> resulted in a </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-march-13-what-happened-on-this-day/a4a966c1-3e00-4280-a888-a34b40af2cdf" rel="" target="" title="Communist government taking power"><span>Communist government taking power</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The United States previously occupied Cuba between 1898 and 1902 following the Spanish-American War, and again from 1906 to 1909.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donald-trump-sexual-assault-allegations-13-year-old-teen-girl-jeffrey-epstein-files/3a3a5fee-6dc6-4fde-89fc-0f28762b9c46" target="" title="Uncorroborated claim about Trump published in Epstein files"><strong><span>Uncorroborated claim about Trump published in Epstein files</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><strong><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a 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