The New York Times published an interesting report recently that explored positions on how Cuba might fall now that it is cut off from Venezuela’s generosity. I think a main point was that Secretary of State Rubio and other Cuba hawks looking to force change on Cuba might have a tough sell to Trump, because Cuba has nothing to offer him. 1
I’m not certain that’s entirely true, in a longer-term sense. An open Cuba can again become a vacation paradise for Americans looking for a quick getaway. Beachfront hotels and all-inclusives could make millions. Hell, Trump could probably remake Mar-a-Lago down there. I have to believe there are hospitality industry giants who would jump at the chance to open premier properties there.
Obviously, there’s a great opportunity here for the Department of Defense as a forward operating base for U.S. Southern Command, particularly for counternarcotics operations the Trump administration wanted to appear so desperately hot about.
Can you imagine the boost to the economy if U.S. flights started rolling in? Tourists, cargo flights, cruise ships, you-name-it. Just the construction traffic to restore infrastructure would be a huge boost. The standard of living could skyrocket.
And I’m not necessarily saying that Cuba would have to embrace democracy for these things to start to happen. We just need agreement and cooperation on a few things, I’d think, to start improving quality of life for Cubans (I mean, we trade with China despite the CCP.) Basic things like clean water and reliable electricity would probably be an amazing start.
- Abi-Habib, M. (2026, January 5). After Venezuela, Trump Says Cuba Is ‘Ready to Fall.’ The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2026, from https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/world/americas/trump-venezuela-cuba.html
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