President Donald Trump on Thursday denied the United States is trying to intimidate Cuba, despite the arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group in the Caribbean earlier this week.
Trump said past presidents had considered intervening in Cuba, but suggested it ultimately fell to his administration to take action.
"It looks like I’ll be the one that does it," he said.
His comments came one day after the indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro on murder charges tied to the 1996 shootdown of planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. The attack killed four people, including three Americans.
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The Trump administration has increasingly framed Cuba as both a national security threat and a failed state.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration still prefers a negotiated agreement with Cuba, though he acknowledged the chances of that happening are low.
"The president's preference is always a negotiated agreement that's peaceful. That's always our preference. That remains our preference with Cuba," Rubio said. "I'm just being honest with you, the likelihood of that happening, given who we're dealing with right now, is not high. But if they have a change of heart, we're here."
Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller added on Thursday that Cuba’s fate is “in their own hands,” while reiterating the administration’s concerns about the threat Cuba poses to the United States.
The comments come as U.S. officials, including the CIA director, have engaged with Cuban officials while also increasing pressure through sanctions and the indictment of Castro.
