{"id":2574,"date":"2026-05-22T15:40:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T15:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/22\/this-is-his-legacy-marco-rubio-nears-goal-of-toppling-cubas-government\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T15:40:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T15:40:48","slug":"this-is-his-legacy-marco-rubio-nears-goal-of-toppling-cubas-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=2574","title":{"rendered":"\u2018This is his legacy\u2019: Marco Rubio nears goal of toppling Cuba\u2019s government"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1fw0voq\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1j5hrwi\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"debd8646-ebbf-486f-8691-a6c60d8ec5b5\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Marco Rubio speaks to reporters holding microphones and boom mics against a blue sky\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/82dccc02f7675d8441ec7ee357be0fdb7b9f0d34\/500_0_5000_4000\/master\/5000.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Rubio is refocusing US policy towards Cuba at a time when the Trump administration is eager to divert attention away from stalled negotiations with Iran.<\/span> Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"debd8646-ebbf-486f-8691-a6c60d8ec5b5\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Rubio is refocusing US policy towards Cuba at a time when the Trump administration is eager to divert attention away from stalled negotiations with Iran.<\/span> Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">\u2018This is his legacy\u2019: Marco Rubio nears goal of toppling Cuba\u2019s government <\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-cj4vxp\">\n<p>US secretary of state\u2019s campaign of \u2018maximum pressure\u2019 is culmination of a personal pursuit spanning decades<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/21\/cuba-us-attack-raul-castro-indictment\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">Cubans outraged at US charges against Ra\u00fal Castro<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500\" class=\"dcr-15rw6c2\">M<\/span>arco Rubio\u2019s moment has finally arrived. The outcome of the Trump administration\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/22\/marco-rubio-doubtful-diplomacy-cuba-trump-renews-threat-military-action\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">efforts to exert \u201cmaximum pressure\u201d on Cuba<\/a> may topple the 67-year-old communist government in Havana and direct the future of the US\u2019s sway over the western hemisphere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">For Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who serves as both secretary of state and national security adviser, the US campaign marks his ascendancy in an administration where he has established himself as a trusted aide to Donald Trump and manoeuvred that position to advance a key goal: Washington\u2019s right to assert its authority across Latin America.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The campaign against Cuba\u2019s government is the culmination of a personal pursuit spanning decades. In a video released on Cuban independence day this week, Rubio said in Spanish that a US embargo was not the reason for the country\u2019s privations, telling Cubans that \u201ccurrently, the only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cAll roads have been leading to Cuba for [Rubio],\u201d said a person who has known Rubio since his time as a local politician in south Florida. \u201cHe has wanted this for a long time and now he finally has the authority [to reach that goal].\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/trump-administration\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Trump administration<\/a> has indicated that it is laying the groundwork to unseat Cuba\u2019s government. \u201cOther presidents have looked at this for 50, 60 years, doing something [about Cuba],\u201d Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. \u201cAnd it looks like I\u2019ll be the one that does it. So I would be happy to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"45940579-0ebb-4018-b152-d184d09b273f\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The USS Nimitz\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/239bc11a3708e786429e887dfad732adbf724725\/0_0_5133_3422\/master\/5133.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"45940579-0ebb-4018-b152-d184d09b273f\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The USS Nimitz is in the southern Caribbean Sea as part of a military buildup meant as a show of force against the Cuban government.<\/span> Photograph: Pilar Olivares\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The US aircraft carrier Nimitz and its strike group arrived in the southern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/caribbean\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Caribbean<\/a> Sea on Thursday as part of a military buildup meant as a show of force against the Cuban government. And the Trump administration has been building a case that Cuba represents a national security threat to the US. Axios, citing administration officials, reported that Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones and was considering using them to attack a US base at Guant\u00e1namo Bay, US ships, or even targets in Florida.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Rubio has played centre-stage in that effort, telling reporters on Thursday that Cuba posed an imminent national security threat to the US. \u201c[Havana] not only has weapons they\u2019ve acquired from Russia and China, but they also host Russian and Chinese intelligence presence in their country,\u201d he said on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Democrats already angered by Trump\u2019s use of force in Iran have questioned the leaked intelligence as a potential pretext for the US to launch yet another military intervention pushed by hawks in his administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Senator Chris Murphy, who serves on the foreign relations committee, said: \u201cI do think that as Trump gets older and he spends his days sleeping and worrying only about his ballroom, he\u2019s increasingly susceptible to dangerous people around him with dangerous agendas, and there is a crowd of Cuba hawks who have always wanted us to invade, who may think that they can take advantage of an increasingly checked out old man, and I just think we have to be prepared for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"c98c95b7-1d7c-46a7-bb27-9df289294a7b\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.YoutubeBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div data-chromatic=\"ignore\">\n<div data-component=\"youtube-atom\" data-atom-id=\"ccd60cd1-0dc3-4096-8759-4b773f179ad4\" data-video-id=\"PbwqtTX6nk8\" data-video-unique-id=\"PbwqtTX6nk8-10\">\n<div data-testid=\"youtube-sticky-PbwqtTX6nk8-10\" data-is-sticky=\"false\" class=\"dcr-0\">\n<div class=\"dcr-0\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1ykam5j\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"0\" data-format-design=\"10\" data-format-display=\"2\" class=\"dcr-1ydx9nq\"><button data-testid=\"youtube-overlay-PbwqtTX6nk8-10\" aria-label=\"Play video: US announces murder charges against former Cuban president Ra\u00fal Castro \u2013 video\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-rvfwnd\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"US announces murder charges against former Cuban president Ra\u00fal Castro \u2013 video\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/9ffeb45e8948614e39987b56638dd081cec15787\/0_99_5284_2973\/5284.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" height=\"259\" width=\"460\" class=\"dcr-1qi2at0\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1vthf9b\">\n<div class=\"dcr-e1ey7b\"><span class=\"dcr-bkmuqk\">0:42<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"play-icon dcr-hz5qc7\"><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1alawo7\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">US announces murder charges against former Cuban president Ra\u00fal Castro \u2013 video<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Rubio\u2019s rise comes as Trump shows increasing willingness to support military interventions abroad. The Trump administration initially promised an America First foreign policy opposed to the wars in the Middle East that had haunted previous administrations. But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jan\/03\/explosions-reported-venezuela-caracas\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">the operation in Venezuela to unseat Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> in January marked a turning point in that policy, and observers have argued that it has fuelled subsequent efforts to win quick victories abroad through the use of overwhelming force.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Rubio, meanwhile, has proved a savvy political operator \u2013 a neoconservative who tempered his outspoken views on issues including US support for Ukraine while steadily expanding his influence within the administration to shape foreign policy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Matthew Kroenig, a vice-president of the Atlantic Council and a former foreign policy adviser to the Rubio 2016 presidential campaign, said: \u201cThe kind of foreign policy Trump is carrying out right now is not that different from what I would have expected from a Rubio 2016 [presidency]: tough on dictatorships, use of force in Iran to stop them from getting nuclear weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"732a1d8e-0e93-4759-b3ab-840daa800434\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Rubio speaks standing in front of a US flag\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/65c8f4951fee8f84c80a630ee11f9ee45f2181aa\/0_0_4055_2665\/master\/4055.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"292.4599260172626\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"732a1d8e-0e93-4759-b3ab-840daa800434\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Rubio, then a Republican presidential candidate, at a town hall meeting in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in January 2016.<\/span> Photograph: Patrick Semansky\/AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Rubio\u2019s hardline views on Cuba coupled with the Trump administration\u2019s readiness to use pressure and force abroad has provided a unique opportunity, allies argue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cHe is in a position of influence that no other Cuban-American has ever held,\u201d said Adolfo Franco, a Republican political strategist who headed the US foreign assistance program to Cuba during the Bush administration and was a Trump surrogate during his campaign.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIf Cuba survives this period again, and the system continues, I think Secretary Rubio would see that as a colossal failure of his tenure secretary of state, because this is an opportunity, and an opportunity that no other Cuban-American in public service has had.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"e48693d2-db40-4950-954c-f99afef861e3\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-4\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"US flag and and banner that says \u2018Intervene Now No Dialogue\u2019.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/5c6cfe074f518d00767a9b7ca267705cb30db0e3\/0_0_5000_3438\/master\/5000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"305.98199999999997\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-4\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"e48693d2-db40-4950-954c-f99afef861e3\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Exiled Cubans at a Cuba independence day event in Miami, Florida, call for US military action.<\/span> Photograph: Crist\u00f3bal Herrera\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Rubio has allied with others in the administration including Stephen Miller, who has justified a muscular foreign policy in Latin America by claiming it will prevent migration and the flow of drugs into the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But Rubio is the driver of that policy on Cuba, refocusing US policy towards Latin America at a time when the administration is eager to divert attention from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/19\/trump-iran-analysis\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">stalled negotiations with Iran<\/a> over its nuclear programme and the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cFundamentally, Rubio is the believer [in the administration], and for a secretary of state and a national security adviser who has been basically cut out of every major foreign policy portfolio except for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/americas\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Americas<\/a>, this is his legacy,\u201d said Juan Sebasti\u00e1n Gonz\u00e1lez, the national security council\u2019s senior director for the Western Hemisphere under the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Pressure is mounting on the Cuban government as fuel reserves have run dry due primarily to the US embargo, leading to disruption to basic services and blackouts of up to 20 hours per day in parts of Havana. A US indictment of former Cuban leader Raul Castro has been compared to the case against Maduro that led to a surprise US raid on Venezuela. But even absent a military operation, the embargo and sanctions crippling the island may be enough to force Cuba\u2019s communist government to cut a deal. \u201cI think the risk right now is not really that the pressure fails, it is that the pressure succeeds, and there\u2019s nothing to catch the fall here,\u201d Gonz\u00e1lez added. \u201cThere\u2019s no plan on what comes next.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em>Joseph Gedeon contributed to reporting<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/marco-rubio\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Marco Rubio<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/cuba\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Cuba<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/trump-administration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/americas\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Americas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/caribbean\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Caribbean<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/features\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">features<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=%E2%80%98This%20is%20his%20legacy%E2%80%99:%20Marco%20Rubio%20nears%20goal%20of%20toppling%20Cuba%E2%80%99s%20government%20&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/22\/marco-rubio-nears-goal-topple-cuba-government?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F22%2Fmarco-rubio-nears-goal-topple-cuba-government&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/22\/marco-rubio-nears-goal-topple-cuba-government\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-jwg3xc\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rubio is refocusing US policy towards Cuba at a time when the Trump administration is eager to divert<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}