Marco Rubio to be Cuban President if US takes over? Trump's cryptic response ignites new speculation

US President Donald Trump, amid the simmering tensions between US and Venezuela, hinted that the idea of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the president of Cuba “sounds good to him.” Of late, the POTUS has reposted and responded to a series of social media posts featuring the ‘US takeover’ of Cuba.

From ‘finest Cuban cigarettes’ to mention of ‘Marco Rubio will be president of Cuba’ — Donald Trump has reposted not one or two – but a series of social media posts about US ‘taking over’ the island nation.

Donald Trump's increased cryptic posts about the Caribbean island nation come at a time when his administration is stepping up its offensive across Latin America, heavily reinforcing US military deployment in the Caribbean, raiding Caracas to capture the Venezuelan president Maduro and stepping up threats against the governments of Panama, Colombia and Cuba – igniting new speculations.

The POTUS's posts also come days after he spoke with Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel and invited him over.

With the Trump administration exerting control over Venezuela, Cuba has lost one of its principal economic patrons and oil suppliers.

Cuba-Venezuela ties

Following ‘large scale strikes’ against Venezuela on 3 January, Trump claimed that Cuba is facing a severe economic crisis after the US military action.

In an interview, Trump claimed Cuba relies on Venezuela for money and oil. He said Venezuela and Cuba had long operated under an arrangement in which Havana provided security support to Venezuela in exchange for oil and cash. He also said that Cuban forces that had been operating in Venezuela were defeated during recent events.

On Friday, 9 January, the US military seized a fifth oil tanker as part of what the military called efforts to target sanctions-busting vessels traveling to and from Venezuela.

Cuba staring at a collapse?

According to a report by AP, experts have warned that a sudden halt in Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba could lead to widespread social unrest and mass migration following the US attacks against Venezuela – which also saw the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro.

“I'd be lying if I told you that I don't want to leave the country,” said 16-year-old Cuban student Amanda Gómez. “We're all thinking about leaving, from the youngest to the oldest," she told AP.

Long before the 3 January attack – which killed 32 Cuban nationals – severe blackouts were sidelining life in Cuba, where people reportedly endured long lines at gas stations and supermarkets amid the island's worst economic crisis in decades.