They're going to reach an agreement. Or we'll do it anyway.
Diante de repórteres na Flórida, Donald Trump declarou que os Estados Unidos adquirirão Cuba 'de um jeito ou de outro', invocando o colapso econômico e energético da ilha como justificativa para uma intervenção que ele descreveu como inevitável. A declaração ressoa com uma longa história de ambições hemisféricas norte-americanas, ao mesmo tempo em que encontra um povo cubano exaurido por décadas de embargo e, agora, por apagões, escassez e colapso monetário. O Secretário de Estado Marco Rubio conduz os contatos diplomáticos, enquanto o governo cubano nega negociações formais — mas não descarta conversas informais, deixando o futuro deliberadamente em aberto.
- Trump afirmou publicamente que os EUA vão 'adquirir' Cuba, usando uma linguagem que mistura convite diplomático com ameaça velada — e recusou-se a explicar por quais meios.
- A ilha enfrenta uma crise sem precedentes recentes: apagões contínuos, hospitais sem medicamentos, fábricas paralisadas e uma moeda em colapso que corrói a vida cotidiana de milhões.
- O governo cubano negou negociações de alto nível, mas relatórios indicam contatos entre representantes americanos e um sobrinho de Raúl Castro, revelando uma diplomacia paralela que nenhum dos lados quer confirmar.
- Entre os exilados cubanos em Miami, as palavras de Trump soaram como uma promessa histórica — a possibilidade de retorno e de reversão de décadas de revolução.
- A ambiguidade central permanece sem resposta: 'aquisição' pode significar acordo negociado, pressão coercitiva ou mudança de regime — e Trump demonstrou indiferença deliberada diante dessa distinção.
Na segunda-feira, em Doral, na Flórida, Donald Trump descreveu Cuba como uma ilha em colapso — sem energia, sem dinheiro, reduzida, nas suas palavras, à fumaça — e anunciou que os Estados Unidos a adquirirão. A formulação foi ao mesmo tempo sedutora e ameaçadora: Trump mencionou uma 'aquisição amigável' conduzida pelo Secretário de Estado Marco Rubio, mas deixou claro que, caso as negociações fracassem, os EUA agiriam de qualquer forma.
A declaração não surgiu do nada. Dias antes, numa cerimônia na Casa Branca em homenagem ao time de futebol Inter Miami — cujo dono é o empresário cubano-americano Jorge Mas —, Trump já havia dito que uma ação contra Cuba era 'apenas uma questão de tempo'. Ele expressou a esperança de que exilados como Mas pudessem um dia retornar à ilha, acrescentando, com um sorriso, que não seria para ficar. A mensagem era de mudança de regime.
O governo cubano negou que haja negociações formais em curso, mas não descartou conversas informais. Há relatos críveis de que representantes americanos mantiveram contato com Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, sobrinho do ex-presidente Raúl Castro — uma diplomacia de bastidores que nenhum dos lados confirma oficialmente.
A crise econômica cubana confere peso concreto às palavras de Trump. Seis décadas de embargo americano já haviam fragilizado a ilha; nos últimos meses, a situação se agravou com apagões prolongados, escassez de alimentos e medicamentos, portos com dificuldades de operação e uma moeda em colapso. Para os cubanos comuns, a crise não é retórica — é a ausência diária de combustível, comida e luz.
Entre os exilados em Miami, o discurso de Trump foi recebido como uma abertura histórica. Mas a pergunta que pairou sem resposta na sala continua sem resposta: o que significa, afinal, 'adquirir' um país soberano? Trump pareceu indiferente à ambiguidade. Os detalhes, sugeriu, viriam depois.
Donald Trump stood before reporters in Doral, Florida, on Monday and spoke about Cuba with the casual certainty of a man describing an inevitability. The island, he said, was in free fall—no energy, no money, reduced to what he called smoke. And the United States, he suggested, would acquire it. One way or another.
The phrasing mattered. Trump framed the prospect as something that could happen through negotiation, a "friendly acquisition" conducted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has been managing the diplomatic file. But he also left room for other methods. When pressed by journalists on how exactly this process would unfold, Trump dismissed the question. The mechanism, he implied, was secondary to the outcome. "They're going to reach an agreement," he said of Rubio's efforts. "Or we'll do it anyway. Either way."
Cuba's government immediately denied that any high-level negotiations were underway. But the denial came with a caveat: officials did not rule out informal conversations, and there were credible reports that American representatives had been in contact with Raul Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, a nephew of the former president Raúl Castro. The distinction between formal talks and back-channel discussions is thin, and both sides seemed to understand that.
Trump's comments arrived just days after he had already signaled his intentions. At a White House ceremony honoring the Inter Miami soccer team—owned by Cuban-American businessman Jorge Mas—Trump had remarked that action against Cuba was "only a matter of time." He told Mas that he hoped the businessman and others like him would return to the island someday, though he added, with a smile, "not to stay." The message was clear: regime change was coming, and exiles would be welcome home.
The economic reality on the island gives Trump's words a certain weight. Cuba has endured an American embargo since the 1960s, a measure that has constrained its economy for six decades. In recent months, that pressure has intensified. The island faces rolling blackouts, supply shortages, and a currency in collapse. Hospitals lack basic medicines. Factories sit idle. The government has struggled to keep the lights on and the ports functioning. For ordinary Cubans, the crisis is not abstract—it is the absence of fuel, food, and electricity.
Among Cuban exiles in the United States, particularly in Miami, Trump's language resonated. These communities have long opposed the government that emerged from Fidel Castro's revolution. For them, the prospect of American intervention—whether diplomatic or otherwise—represents a historical opening, a chance to reclaim what they lost or what their families lost decades ago.
But Trump's framing also raised a question that hung unspoken in the room: what does acquisition mean? Is it a negotiated transfer of sovereignty, a puppet government installed by American pressure, or something more direct? Trump seemed unbothered by the ambiguity. He had said what he came to say. The details, he suggested, would follow.
Citações Notáveis
They are really reduced to smoke. They have no energy, they have no money.— Donald Trump, describing Cuba's economic condition
It is only a matter of time until you and other incredible people return to Cuba.— Donald Trump, speaking to Cuban-American businessman Jorge Mas
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
When Trump says the US will acquire Cuba "one way or another," is he actually threatening military intervention, or is this mostly rhetoric?
It's both. The rhetoric itself is the threat. He's signaling to Cuba's government that negotiation is preferable to the alternative, but he's also telling his base—and the exile community in Miami—that change is coming regardless. The ambiguity is intentional.
But Cuba's government says there are no high-level talks happening. How does that square with what Trump is saying?
Cuba is protecting itself diplomatically. If they admit to negotiations, they look weak to their own population. But the fact that they didn't deny the informal contacts suggests something is moving beneath the surface. Rubio has been active on this file for months.
What's the actual leverage here? The embargo has been in place since the 1960s and hasn't toppled the government.
The embargo alone hasn't worked, but the combination of embargo, energy crisis, and economic collapse is different. Cuba's infrastructure is failing. When people can't get electricity or food, governments become vulnerable in ways they weren't before.
Is Trump actually serious about this, or is it campaign talk?
He's serious enough to have his Secretary of State working on it. Whether it happens depends on whether Cuba's leadership decides negotiation is preferable to collapse. Trump is betting they will.
What happens to ordinary Cubans in this scenario?
That's the question no one is answering. If the government falls or capitulates, there will be chaos—possibly opportunity, possibly suffering. The exile community sees restoration. Cubans on the island see uncertainty.