President Donald Trump says he wants to "get Cuba done" before he leaves office, and he is pointing to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the man for the job. In a Thursday interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump noted that Rubio's parents are from Cuba and said Marco "would love to do that." When Hewitt asked about using military force to free the island, Trump said he would "certainly consider" it, including a short operation. He did not spell out what "done" would actually mean, and he also called Cuba a "failed" place. The comments instantly raised questions about what the White House is planning next.

The island is in a deep crisis, with nationwide blackouts and a collapsing economy. That crisis was made worse after Trump ordered the operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a key Cuban ally, and the US then imposed an oil blockade, which reportedly knocked out the island's power grid. Trump and Rubio blame Cuba's communist leadership, while critics argue the blockade has deepened a humanitarian crisis for ordinary Cubans. Rubio also declined to rule out an invasion when he testified to Congress in June. The remarks come a week after Republicans took heavy losses in the midterms and while the war in Iran drags on, so whether Cuba is next remains an open question.