Cubans are asking President Donald Trump to give its government the Venezuela treatment after living under brutal authoritarian oppression for decades.
Anti-communist activists in the country were given hope after Trump ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro last year. The president has suggested taking similar action in Cuba. The New York Post spoke with several Cubans who wish to see the U.S. intervene against the regime.
The capture of former Venezuelan strongman president Nicolas Maduro in a US military special operation earlier this year had two effects on Cuba. It cut off the main supplier of oil to the nation, and gave dissidents against the Communist Cuban government — led by President Miguel Diaz-Canel — hope.
Activist José Daniel Ferrer’s cell phone blew up with messages from fellow activists in Cuba on January 3, the day Maduro was captured.
“I must have gotten 60 messages asking me when the US military would be on their way to Cuba to get rid of Diaz- Canel,” said Ferrer, 55, who leads the a pro-democracy movement and has been repeatedly incarcerated and tortured for his activism over the years.
“The majority of Cubans want the Americans to intervene because they are living through the worst period of the 67-year dictatorship.”
Quiala Carmenate, founder of a dissident movement, told The Post that he left Cuba after being released from prison for his political activism. He said this is “the most repressive period that we’ve ever been through” and that he was beaten and held in isolation in prison.
Trump has commented on the situation in Cuba on multiple occasions. Recently, he said the regime is “at the end of the line” and that Havana is negotiating with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He also floated the idea of a “friendly takeover” of the country.
Trump on Cuba: "It may be a friendly takeover. It may not be a friendly takeover. It wouldn't matter." pic.twitter.com/4ob8Zwe6Yt
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 9, 2026
Cuba’s communist government continues its tradition of ruling by brutal force. It frequently jails dissidents and cracks down on protests. Human Rights Watch reported that the regime has at least 600 to 800 political prisoners behind bars for supporting the 2021 protests against the regime.
CUBA PROTESTS GETTING INTENSE 🚨
— Money Ape (@TheMoneyApe) March 9, 2026
CUBA PEOPLE ARE TAKING TO THE STREETS IN HAVANA & OTHER CITIES.
PROTESTERS ARE CHANTING: “DOWN WITH COMMUNISM” & “FREEDOM.”
THESE PROTESTS ARE DRIVEN BY BLACKOUTS, ECONOMIC CRISIS, & COLLAPSING SERVICES.
TRUMP SAID CUBA WILL BE…Show more https://t.co/drVXsT8Yfe pic.twitter.com/gtGIKN4kzZ
Cuban authorities have employed a variety of tactics to suppress demonstrations against its rule. These include arbirtary detention, house arrest, surveillance, and interrogations to punish and intimidate anti-communist activists.
Many have fled from the country because of the rampant human rights abuses and oppression. While Trump seems set on addressing the situation, he has not yet outlined his planned course of action against the regime.