Trump says Cuba will fail soon as U.S. pressures island

President Trump said Cuba will fail “within a short period of time” and said the United States would “help it out,” as his administration keeps up pressure on the island.

“Cuba is going to be next. Cuba is a mess. It’s a failing country, and they’re going to be next,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. “Within a short period of time, it’s going to fail. And we’ll be there to help it out.”

Trump has made similar comments in recent weeks, saying he believed he would have “the honor of taking Cuba” and describing the island as a “failed nation.”

Cuba has been facing a deep economic and energy crisis, with fuel shortages and blackouts across the island, as the Trump administration has threatened hefty tariffs on countries exporting oil to Cuba.

The administration eased some of that pressure this week by allowing a sanctioned Russian-flagged tanker carrying more than 700,000 barrels of oil to dock in Havana.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision was made for “humanitarian reasons.”