Washington, 17 March 2026 (dpa/MIA) - US President Donald Trump said on Monday he thinks he will have the "honour of taking Cuba."

"I do believe I'll be the honour of, have the honour of taking Cuba. That would be good. That's a big honour," he said during an executive order signing at the White House.

For weeks, Trump has been repeating that Cuba is on the brink of collapse.

"Whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it," Trump continued.

"They're a very weakened nation right now," he said.

"It's a failed nation. They have no money, they have no oil, they have no nothing."

Under Trump, Washington has increased economic pressure on Cuba, aiming to cut off the flow of foreign currency and oil to the Caribbean island.

The pressure intensified after US authorities carried out an operation in January in which Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, was arrested in the capital Caracas and taken to the US.

The move deprived Havana of one of its most important allies, which had long supported the island, particularly through oil supplies, amid the decades-long US trade embargo with Cuba.

Currently, Cuba is in one of its most severe economic crises since the revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959.

Photo: EPA