According to reporting from The Washington Post, Cuba experienced a nationwide blackout yesterday as a consequence of the stranglehold the U.S. has placed on Cuba’s oil industry. 1
The outages have become more frequent since the U.S. cut Cuba off from Venezuelan and Mexican crude, and Cubans forced to live under these conditions have taken to the streets. The report describes people lighting their trash on fire to protest cessation of garbage collection.
The revolutionary government has opened a dialogue with the United States, and has even offered to allow expatriates to invest in businesses on the island — though some in Miami are unwilling to accept. The Cuban government said it hasn’t received any oil in the past three months.
The United States, for its part, is apparently pushing for regime compliance, rather than regime change — although “compliance” includes removal of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other Communist hard-liners. 2
In response to a reporter’s question about the U.S.’ plan for Cuba, President Trump boasted, “I do believe I’ll [have] the honor of taking Cuba … whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it if you want to know the truth.” 3
- Schmidt, S., & Faiola, A. (2026, March 16). Trump says he can ‘take’ Cuba: ‘I can do anything I want with it.’ The Washington Post. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/03/16/cuba-blackout-energy-grid-collapse/ ↩︎
- Robles, F., Wong, E., & Correal, A. (2026, March 16). Trump Administration Said to Tell Cuba That Its President Has to Go. The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/world/americas/trump-cuba-president-diaz-canel.html ↩︎
- Mr. Trump’s troubled relationship with truth is well documented. ↩︎
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