After Venezuela, Rubio Says Cuba Is ‘In A Lot Of Trouble’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Cuba is “a huge problem” and is “in a lot of trouble” after the Trump administration arrested Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela over the weekend.

Rubio appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday to explain and defend Saturday’s military operation to arrest Venezuela’s former president and extradite him to face trial in New York. The State secretary issued a warning to the Cuban regime, which was close to Maduro, as well.

“The Cuban government is a huge problem,” Rubio said when asked if Cuba is the “next target” after Venezuela. “I’m not going to talk to you about what our future steps are going to be and our policies are going to be right now in this regard, but I don’t think it’s any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime.”

Rubio pointed out that the Cuban government played a significant role in “propping up” Maduro as the illegitimate president of Venezuela. President Donald Trump’s first administration declared Maduro a “dictator” with an “illegitimate claim to power” in January 2019 following the previous year’s election “viewed internationally as not free, fair or credible.”

“One of the untold stories here is how, in essence – you talk about colonization because I think you said [Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez] mentioned that – the ones who have sort of colonized, at least inside the regime, are Cubans,” said Rubio. “It was Cubans that guarded Maduro. He was not guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards, he had Cuban bodyguards.”

“In terms of their internal intelligence, who spies on who inside to make sure there are no traitors, those are all Cubans,” he added.

Welker: Is the Cuban government the next target?

Rubio: The Cuban government is a huge problem

Welker: Is that a yes?

Rubio: I think they are in a lot of trouble. Yes pic.twitter.com/ywgfKsbGWu

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 4, 2026

Rubio’s comments followed some made on Saturday after the operation in which he said that Cuba had colonized Venezuela “from a security standpoint” because of the Cuban influence in Maduro’s security and intelligence community.

“If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned, at least a little bit,” said Rubio on Saturday.

Cuba released a statement following the U.S. military operation, condemning Maduro’s capture and calling for his immediate release.

“This is a blatant imperialist and fascist aggression with objectives of domination, aimed at reviving U.S. hegemonic ambitions over Our America, rooted in the Monroe Doctrine, and at achieving unrestricted access to and control over the natural wealth of Venezuela and the region,” the statement said. “All nations of the region must remain alert, as the threat hangs over all.”

Trump and some of his top officials have suggested in the wake of the Venezuela operation that the Western hemisphere is the United States’ sphere of influence. In addition to Cuba, specific remarks and threats have been made toward Colombia and Mexico because of the influence of drug cartels on those countries, similar to Venezuela.