EditRubio on Cuba: “Change the people in charge, the system, and the economic model”
The U.S. Secretary of State spoke out amid island’s deepening crisis at a time when U.S.-Cuban contacts appear to be quietly intensifying
Fresh off G7 foreign ministers’ meetings dominated by the Iran conflict and global energy security, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday found himself fielding pointed questions about Cuba, his parents’ native country, on the airport tarmac.
Though he joked that he “didn’t come all the way to France to talk about Cuba,” Rubio didn’t hesitate to deliver a blunt diagnosis of the Caribbean nation’s woes – and a clear prescription for change.
“You need to change the people in charge. You need to change the system that runs the country, and you need to change the economic model that it’s following,” Rubio told reporters. “That’s the only way forward if Cuba wants a better future
For an audience unfamiliar with Cuba’s situation, the backdrop is stark. Cuba – a nation of roughly 11 million people just 90 miles from Florida – is in the grip of one of its worst economic and energy crises in decades. Frequent nationwide blackouts have become routine. On 16 March alone, the entire electrical grid suffered a “total disconnection,” plunging millions into darkness for hours or days. Fuel shortages have crippled transportation, factories, hospitals, and even water pumps. Food and medicine are rationed, inflation is soaring, and basic goods are scarce.
The Cuban government blames the long-standing U.S. embargo and what it calls an “oil blockade.” In recent months, the Trump administration has intensified pressure by restricting Venezuelan oil shipments – Cuba’s primary energy lifeline for years. Without subsidized fuel from Caracas (or the Soviet Union before it), the island’s aging power plants, many dating to the 1950s and ’60s and poorly maintained, simply cannot keep up. Officials in Havana have begun allowing limited private investment from Cuban exiles and exploring talks with Washington, but critics say these steps are too little, too late.
Rubio, a natural-born U.S. citizen whose family fled the island after the 1959 revolution, rejected the idea that the crisis stems mainly from external pressure. “There isn’t a naval blockade surrounding Cuba,” he said. “The reason why Cuba doesn’t have oil and fuel is because they want it for free.” He pointed to deeper structural failures: a “nonsensical” economic system run by what he called “incompetent communists.”
In earlier remarks, Rubio had been even more specific. He highlighted GAESA, a military-controlled conglomerate that dominates about 40 percent of the Cuban economy. Profits from tourism, remittances, and other sectors flow to the armed forces rather than public services, he argued, leaving schools, roads, and ordinary citizens shortchanged. Cuba – once a major sugar exporter – now imports sugar despite having fertile farmland. “The only thing worse than a communist is an incompetent communist,” Rubio has said.
When pressed on whether the Trump administration would settle for a narrow economic deal or still seeks deeper “regime change,” Rubio was unequivocal: “Yes” to regime change. Economic improvement, he insisted, is impossible without political and systemic reform. “Cuba’s economy needs to change, and their economy can’t change unless their system of government changes. It’s that simple.” He dismissed media speculation about softer U.S. positions as “fake” unless it came directly from him or President Trump.
The comments come as U.S.-Cuban contacts appear to be quietly intensifying. Havana has confirmed diplomatic talks aimed at easing tensions, while the White House has floated ideas of a “friendly takeover” or major opening if the regime embraces real change. For ordinary Cubans, the stakes could not be higher: hundreds of thousands have fled the island in recent years in search of opportunity, echoing past migration waves.
Rubio’s airport remarks underscore a consistent U.S. message: the suffering of the Cuban people is not primarily the result of sanctions, but of a failing system that has persisted for more than six decades. Whether that message leads to breakthrough negotiations or continued stalemate remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that Washington sees Cuba’s economic meltdown not just as a humanitarian tragedy – but as proof that the current model is unsustainable.
As Rubio put it: “Cubans can only be successful if they leave the country. That’s a very sad thing… and that has to change.” For millions on the island hoping for relief from blackouts, empty shelves, and uncertainty, the question now is whether real change is finally on the horizon – or whether the crisis will only deepen.
Rubio’s improvised press conference at Le Bourget Airport was primarily focused on the ongoing U.S. military operation against Iran – which he described as advancing ahead of schedule and expected to conclude in a matter of weeks, not months. Clearly, Cuba is not among the White House’s top immediate priorities.
Caption: A person rests at the seafront promenade as a classic car drives by in Havana, Cuba, 25 March 2026. The Caribbean nation has been experiencing a severe crisis since mid-2014, which has deepened with the oil embargo imposed by the US government since January 2026. The United Nations (UN) has described the US measures as ‘actions that violate human rights.’ EPA/ERNESTO MASTRASCUSA
Updated: March 28, 2026 - 11:12
