President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to declare a national emergency over the Cuban regime’s support for “malign actors adverse to the United States.”
The executive order says those actors include Russia, China, Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah.
“Cuba blatantly hosts dangerous adversaries of the United States, inviting them to base sophisticated military and intelligence capabilities in Cuba that directly threaten the national security of the United States,” the directive reads, citing Russia as a frequent guest of Cuba.
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By declaring a national emergency, Trump intends to create a “tariff system” targeting Cuban imports, including oil.
The move comes one day after Mexico temporarily halted its oil shipments to Cuba. The Caribbean island once relied heavily on oil shipments from Venezuela, but that supply was cut off when the United States asserted control over the South American nation this month.
The proposed tariff system will feature an “additional ad valorem duty” on imports that are either directly or indirectly sold to Cuba by foreign countries. The order says the system is a “necessary and appropriate” part of the declared national emergency.
The additional tariff took effect immediately upon Trump’s signature of the order.
The president directed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to determine whether any foreign adversaries directly or indirectly sell goods or oil to Cuba. Lutnick will then consult with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other administration officials about his findings.
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This action indicates the Trump administration is looking forward to possible regime change in Cuba. Rubio confirmed that desire during his Senate testimony on Wednesday, but he said the U.S. may not be directly involved in setting up a new government for Cuba.
“Regime change? Oh no, I think we would love to see the regime there change,” Rubio answered when asked if the administration would rule out regime change. “That doesn’t mean we are going to make a change, but we would love to see a change. There’s no doubt about the fact that it would be of great benefit to the United States if Cuba was no longer governed by an autocratic regime.”
As a Cuban American citizen born in Miami, Rubio has been especially critical of Cuba’s poor economic conditions and communist leadership.
“That’s a country that’s been backwards,” he said during the hearing. “It has no functional economy. The people, you can call them Marxists, we can call them communists, but not even Lenin would recognize this version of communism and Marxism that they’ve instilled in Cuba.”
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After signing the executive order, Trump commented on possible regime change in Cuba.
“The word choke off is awfully tough,” Trump said when asked if he’s trying to “choke off” the island. “Cuba is a failing nation, and you have to feel badly for Cuba. They’ve treated people very badly. We have a lot of Cuban Americans who really were treated very badly, and they probably like to go back. No, I’m not trying to, but it looks like it’s something that’s just not going to be able to survive. I think Cuba will not be able to survive.”
