US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Cuba is in "deep trouble" on a humanitarian level and suggested that efforts by the United States to influence the island may or may not amount to a "friendly takeover." Speaking at a news conference in Doral, Florida, Trump noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is handling the situation, adding that Cuba's economic and energy problems are severe.
As Trump states (via USA Today): "He's dealing (with it) and it may be a friendly takover, it may not be a friendly takeover. Wouldn't really matter because they're really down to...as they say, fumes. They have no energy, they have no money."
The Cuban government has not confirmed talks with the US, though reports indicate informal discussions may be occurring with Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, grandson of former Cuban President Raul Castro. Cuban exiles in Miami have historically sought the overthrow of Cuba's government, which has been in power since Fidel Castro's revolution.