President Trump dominated the daytime news yesterday with two events in the White House, both of which were capped by question-and-answer sessions with reporters.
Iran and the Strait of Hormuz — and oil prices — naturally were dominant. But perhaps the most interesting Trump comment came when he said he wanted to “take” Cuba.
“I think Cuba sees the end,” Trump said in the morning session. “All my life, I’ve been hearing about the United States and Cuba. When will the United States do it? I do believe I’ll be the honor of — having the honor of taking Cuba.”
He further elaborated: “Whether I free it, take it — I think I can do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth. They’re a very weakened nation right now.”
This commentary led CNN into a frenzy, smacking of dictatorial longings to its reporters. Cuba, however, is already seeing the light of a takeover, or more likely, the fear of imminent economic collapse. Yesterday, it offered Cuban expats living in the U.S. — and others — the opportunity to invest in their homeland.
“There are no limitations,” Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Perez-Oliva Fraga, who also heads the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, explained. He noted, however, that the U.S. still has legal trade barriers that could hamper foreign investment.
Trump probably envisions something bolder. He could, for instance, send in the Marines to take down the leaders and bring them to the U.S. on some criminal charges, although this might prove hard to orchestrate following his weekslong “escapade” in Iran.
Stay tuned. Never a dull moment under Donald John Trump. Cuba may soon be the Sin City it used to be, with gambling, booze, and loose women for the taking, though that seems a bit of a stretch.
[PICTURED: President Trump answering reporters’ questions in the Oval Office]
