Trump Again Floats 'Taking' Cuba as Díaz-Canel Vows 'Impregnable Resistance' Amid Blackouts and U.S. Pressure
An island‑wide blackout knocked out power across Cuba after a "complete disconnection" of the national grid, forcing postponed surgeries, partial restorations to hospitals, sparking pot‑banging protests and worsening shortages that Havana blames on halted Venezuelan oil shipments amid a deepening energy crisis; the government has also moved to allow Cuban nationals abroad to invest as it seeks to stave off economic collapse. As Washington presses for political change—with President Trump publicly floating a "friendly takeover" and saying he might "take" Cuba while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others call for new leaders—President Miguel Díaz‑Canel vowed that "any external aggressor will clash with an impregnable resistance."
📌 Key Facts
- On March 16, 2026 Cuba suffered an island‑wide blackout: the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the U.S. Embassy reported a 'complete disconnection' of the national electrical system affecting about 11 million people; authorities opened an investigation and began gradual restoration (crews restarted thermoelectric plants, with limited power restored to some hospitals and roughly 5% of Havana).
- President Miguel Díaz‑Canel said Cuba has not received imported oil shipments for more than three months, that electricity generation has been sustained by solar, natural gas and thermoelectric plants, and that fuel shortages have forced the postponement of 'tens of thousands' of surgeries.
- Cuban officials and state media link the fuel shortages and repeated blackouts (this was reported as the third major nationwide outage in four months) to halted Venezuelan oil shipments following recent U.S. military action and the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, and to U.S. threats (including proposed tariffs) against countries supplying oil to Cuba; U.S. officials have rejected claims that U.S. sanctions are the sole cause, attributing the crisis in part to Cuba’s governance.
- President Trump and senior U.S. officials have intensified pressure on Havana: Trump publicly floated a 'friendly takeover' or 'taking' Cuba and said 'we'll be doing something with Cuba very soon,' while U.S. sources say the administration is pressing for Miguel Díaz‑Canel to leave as part of negotiations tied to easing energy restrictions.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other U.S. officials have publicly tied the U.S. embargo to seeking political change on the island, demanding steps such as release of political prisoners and broader economic and political liberalization as conditions for lifting sanctions.
- As part of concessions framed amid U.S.–Cuba talks, Cuba announced policy changes including the release of dozens of prisoners from the 2021 protests and a move to allow Cuban nationals living abroad (including in the U.S.) and their descendants to invest in and own companies on the island; U.S. officials and analysts say U.S. sanctions will still limit how much U.S.‑based capital can flow.
- Domestically, social‑media footage and reporting show cacerolazo (pot‑banging) protests and rising public frustration over prolonged outages, food spoilage and deteriorating living conditions; Díaz‑Canel responded to U.S. rhetoric by warning that 'any external aggressor will clash with an impregnable resistance.'
📊 Relevant Data
Cuba's population racial composition is approximately 64% White, 26% Mixed, and 9% Black, based on the 2012 census, with similar distributions referenced in 2026 analyses.
Demographics of Cuba - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
Afro-Cubans experience greater difficulties in accessing jobs, food, potable water, and decent housing compared to other groups, with extreme poverty disproportionately affecting people of African descent in Cuba as of 2024.
In Cuba, Extreme Poverty Mainly Affects People of African Descent on the Island — Race and Equality
U.S. sanctions against Cuba from March 2022 to February 2023 caused an estimated $4.87 billion in economic losses, impacting all sectors of the Cuban economy.
Cuba's economic crisis is also driven by government mismanagement, including poor monetary policy decisions before 2021, underdeveloped markets, and inefficiencies in centralized planning, beyond the effects of U.S. sanctions.
The Cuban Economic Crisis: Impact of Government Mismanagement and International Sanctions on a Developing Country — Michigan Journal of Economics
Mass migration from Cuba since 2021 is fueled by severe economic crisis, repression of protests, and U.S. sanctions, with over one million emigrants accounting for 10-15% of the country's population.
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
Why Is the DSA Making Friends with Communist Cuba?
"A critical City Journal commentary arguing that the DSA’s outreach to or defense of Cuba is hypocritical and dangerous given the island’s recent blackouts, repression, and governance failures, and that left‑wing anti‑imperialist posturing should not excuse normalizing an authoritarian regime."
📰 Source Timeline (11)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 18, 2026
2:50 AM
As Trump floats "taking Cuba," island's president warns of "resistance"
New information:
- Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel posted on X that 'any external aggressor will clash with an impregnable resistance,' explicitly framing U.S. rhetoric as a threat to overthrow Cuba’s government and exploit its resources.
- Trump has now repeatedly suggested he might 'take' Cuba, talking about a 'friendly takeover,' saying 'whether I free it, take it, I think I could do anything I want with it,' and hinting at 'doing something with Cuba very soon' at a White House event.
- CBS details how earlier Trump administration threats of tariffs on countries selling oil to Cuba have effectively halted petroleum shipments, contributing to severe fuel shortages, island-wide blackouts and protests.
- Cuba has announced it will allow Cuban nationals abroad, including those in the U.S., to invest in island companies, a significant shift in its economic policy, though U.S. sanctions likely limit how much U.S.-based money can actually move.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly dismissed Havana’s investment move as inadequate, saying Cuba’s economic and political systems 'have to change dramatically' and that the new policy 'is not going to fix it.'
March 17, 2026
9:00 PM
Rubio says Cuba needs ‘new people in charge’ as blackouts, unrest grip island
New information:
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking at the White House, explicitly tied the U.S. embargo to 'political change on the island' and said Cuba 'has to get new people in charge' because current leaders 'don't know how to fix' the economy.
- President Trump told reporters that 'they're talking to Marco' and that the administration will be 'doing something with Cuba very soon' and is 'dealing with Cuba,' signaling active policy deliberations.
- A senior State Department official, speaking to Fox News Digital, rejected claims that U.S. sanctions are to blame for Cuba's humanitarian crisis and framed the blackouts as 'the tragic result of over 60 years of Communist rule.'
- Cuban human rights activist Rosa María Payá was quoted saying 'the blackout is the regime's collapse made visible' and that 'pressure on the regime works,' arguing sanctions are not causing Cuban suffering and calling for the regime’s end.
- The piece more explicitly links recent blackouts to failures at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant and to fuel shortages following U.S. actions to curtail Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba.
7:03 PM
Rubio calls for new Cuban leaders as blackout underscores economic crisis
New information:
- President Trump said on March 17, 2026 that 'we'll be doing something with Cuba very soon' and again floated the idea of a 'friendly takeover of Cuba,' explicitly tying this posture to the country’s economic crisis and repeated blackouts.
- A U.S. official and a source familiar with U.S.–Cuba talks say the Trump administration is looking for Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel to leave as part of negotiations, although they did not specify who Washington wants to see in power.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly stated that Cuba 'has an economy that doesn't work in a political and governmental system,' argued that announced reforms allowing more trade with U.S. companies are not 'dramatic enough,' and said Cuba must 'change dramatically' including releasing political prisoners and moving toward political and economic liberalization in exchange for lifting sanctions.
- The piece underscores that this Cuba posture comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s armed raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—cutting off Venezuelan oil that had supported Cuba—and recent U.S. military strikes on Iran, situating Cuba as the next potential front in an aggressive foreign‑policy pattern.
11:33 AM
U.S. seeks NATO help with Strait of Hormuz. And, SCOTUS blocks vaccine changes
New information:
- NPR characterizes yesterday’s collapse as 'another catastrophic' failure and the largest islandwide blackout since the U.S. began blocking oil shipments to Cuba in January.
- The report notes that since the blockade, Cuba has not received imported oil for its thermal plants 'for months,' reinforcing the depth of the fuel crunch.
- It adds that over the weekend Cuba announced it would release 51 prisoners from the 2021 protest wave and allow Cubans living abroad to invest in and own businesses, framed as concessions amid ongoing U.S.–Cuba negotiations.
- Trump publicly said he would have the 'honor of taking Cuba,' rhetoric that goes beyond previous pressure and suggests regime‑change ambitions.
3:14 AM
Islandwide blackout hits Cuba as it struggles with deepening energy crisis
New information:
- Confirms a specific islandwide blackout on Monday, March 16, 2026, affecting Cuba’s population of about 11 million people and described by the Energy and Mines Ministry as a 'complete disconnection' of the electrical system.
- Details that crews were restarting several thermoelectric plants gradually, with power restored by Monday night to about 5% of Havana (roughly 42,000 customers) and to several hospitals across the island, with communications infrastructure next in line.
- Reports that this is the third major nationwide blackout in the past four months, with residents describing food spoilage, constant outages and despair that is pushing some to consider leaving the island.
- Adds fresh, on-the-record regime‑change rhetoric from President Trump, who said he believes he will have the 'honor of taking Cuba' and that he could 'do anything I want with it,' while the administration demands political prisoners’ release, liberalization, and the departure of President Miguel Díaz‑Canel in exchange for easing energy sanctions.
- Cites U.S. and other sources confirming that the Trump administration is actively seeking Díaz‑Canel’s ouster and is in negotiations with Havana over Cuba’s political future, beyond earlier generic references to 'energy restrictions.'
1:29 AM
Cuba's entire electrical grid collapses, leaving whole island without power
New information:
- U.S. Embassy in Cuba stated that at 1:54 p.m. local time there was a disconnection of the national electrical grid resulting in a complete power outage across Cuba, including the Havana metro area.
- Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed a total collapse of the National Electrical System and said causes are under investigation while restoration protocols are being activated.
- Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel said no fuel has entered the country for the past three months and that electricity generation has relied heavily on renewable energy in that period.
- Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos F. de Cossio publicly blamed U.S. officials for the harm to Cuban families from the blackout, explicitly tying it to Washington’s embargo and recent actions disrupting Venezuelan fuel shipments.
- Local utility officials in Villa Clara framed a new solar‑panel project as a 'national security necessity' in light of continuing U.S. restrictions on fossil fuel access.
March 16, 2026
9:42 PM
Cuba plans to open up to investment from nationals in U.S. amid pressure from Trump
New information:
- Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga says Cuba will allow Cuban nationals living abroad, including in the U.S., and their descendants to invest in companies on the island, with a policy announcement expected Monday night.
- Fraga says Cuba is open to both small and large investments, particularly in infrastructure, and to 'fluid commercial relationships' with U.S. companies and Cuban Americans.
- The report ties Cuba’s move directly to economic collapse, a collapsing energy grid, and fuel shortages aggravated by the Trump administration’s threats of steep tariffs on countries shipping oil to Cuba.
- Trump has recently described Cuba as a 'failed nation,' suggested a 'friendly takeover' is possible, said the U.S. and Cuba are talking, and claimed that 'whether I free it, take it, I think I could do anything I want with it.'
7:50 PM
Cuba hit by island wide blackout as energy crisis deepens
New information:
- Confirms the latest outage is explicitly described by Cuban officials as an 'island‑wide blackout' affecting the entire country of about 11 million people.
- Specifies that the Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines reported a 'complete disconnection' of the national electrical system on X and is investigating.
- Details that President Miguel Díaz‑Canel said Friday that Cuba has not received oil shipments in more than three months, is operating on solar, natural gas and thermoelectric plants, and has postponed surgeries for tens of thousands of people.
- Clarifies that critical oil shipments from Venezuela were halted after the U.S. attacked Venezuela in early January and arrested then‑President Nicolás Maduro.
- Notes that Díaz‑Canel confirmed Cuba is holding talks with the U.S. government as the energy and economic problems deepen.
7:01 PM
Cuba's national energy grid collapses sparking nationwide blackout
New information:
- Cuban authorities reported an island‑wide blackout Monday, with the Ministry of Energy and Mines citing a 'complete disconnection' of the national electrical system and ongoing restoration efforts.
- President Miguel Díaz‑Canel said Cuba has not received any oil shipments in more than three months, is relying on solar, natural gas and thermoelectric plants, and has postponed surgeries for tens of thousands of people.
- The blackout is linked to the halt of critical Venezuelan oil shipments after the U.S. attack on Venezuela in early January and the arrest of then‑president Nicolás Maduro, with Havana blaming a U.S. 'energy blockade' after Trump threatened tariffs on any country supplying Cuba.
- Díaz‑Canel confirmed Cuba is holding talks with the U.S. government about the deepening crisis, while a U.S. official told CBS earlier this year that the administration seeks to negotiate a transition away from Cuba’s communist system rather than trigger regime collapse.
- Social‑media videos show cacerolazo protests—pot‑banging demonstrations—in Havana and other cities over blackouts, food shortages and deteriorating living conditions, echoing earlier unrest in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
6:26 PM
Cuba reports island-wide blackout as country struggles with energy crisis
New information:
- Confirms an island-wide blackout on Monday, March 16, with Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines reporting a 'complete disconnection' of the national grid and opening an investigation.
- Quotes President Miguel Díaz-Canel saying Cuba has not received any oil shipments in more than three months and is running on solar, natural gas and thermoelectric plants while postponing 'tens of thousands' of surgeries.
- Attributes halted critical oil shipments from Venezuela to U.S. action in early January that included an attack on the country and the arrest of then-President Nicolás Maduro.
- Notes a massive outage just over a week earlier that affected the island’s west, indicating repeated, escalating grid failures.
March 14, 2026