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President Donald Trump on Sunday night predicted Cuba was “ready to collapse” after the US military captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, warning that Havana could no longer rely on Caracas for security and oil.
Trump said the fate of Cuba is now directly linked to the ouster of Maduro and the collapse of Venezuela’s ability to bankroll regional allies.
Asked if he was considering US action in Cuba, Trump replied: “I think it’s going to fall. I don’t think we need action. It looks like it’s going down. It’s going to go down.”
The President’s comments while speaking to the media aboard Air Force One come after the arrest of Maduro and his wife on Saturday on charges of conspiracy to commit terrorism. The bold move sent shockwaves through allied governments in the region, where Cuban officials called for rallies in support of Venezuela and accused the US of violating its sovereignty.
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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters while on board Air Force One, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, as he returns to Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
U.S. officials say Cuban security forces played a major role in keeping Maduro in power. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuban agents are successfully conducting intelligence and security operations in Venezuela – including monitoring Maduro and monitoring the integrity of his government.
Protesters gather outside the White House, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Washington, after the US detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on a military mission. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
“It’s the Cubans who guarded Maduro,” Rubio said. “He was not guarded by Venezuelan guards. He had Cuban guards.”
The Cuban government acknowledged on Sunday that 32 Cuban soldiers and police were killed during the US operation in Venezuela, marking the first death toll released by Havana. Cuban media said the police were deployed at the request of Caracas and declared two days of national mourning.
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Trump confirmed the Cuban casualties when he returned to Washington.
“A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday,” he said. “There was a lot of death on the other side. No death on our side.”
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores are facing the ‘worst case’ in US custody, according to experts, on federal charges of drug and weapons charges. (Juan BARRETO / AFP via Getty Images)
Trump also targeted neighboring Colombia, accusing its leadership of fueling drug trafficking in the US
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“Colombia is very sick, it is run by a sick man who likes to make cocaine and sell it to the United States,” said Trump, adding that the country, “will not do it for a very long time.”
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro speaks during a military ceremony commemorating the 200th anniversary of the presentation of the ‘Sword of Peru’ to Venezuelan independence hero Simón Bolívar on November 25, 2025, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
He suggested that the US is willing to take action against narco-trafficking networks that operate on land and at sea, citing recent sanctions.
Trump also renewed his long-standing focus on Greenland, saying the Arctic region is vital to US security amid growing Russian and Chinese activity.
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“We need Greenland from a national security perspective,” Trump said. “Greenland is covered by Russian and Chinese ships everywhere.”
Trump planned Saturday’s operation as part of a broader effort to assert US dominance in the Western Hemisphere, invoking the Monroe Doctrine and warning that hostile powers can no longer rely on each other to survive.
Maduro will appear in court in New York on Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
