In the wake of the dramatic capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, the United States has shifted its focus to the long-standing communist regime in Cuba, with top officials predicting its imminent downfall without direct American intervention.
U.S. Officials Point to Cuba's Critical Role in Propping Up Maduro
Speaking on Sunday, January 4, 2026, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio provided stark details on Cuba's integral support for the deposed Venezuelan government. In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, Rubio stated that the Cuban government faces a "huge problem" following the operation against Maduro.
"I think they're in a lot of trouble," Rubio said, emphasizing the symbiotic relationship between the two nations. He revealed that Maduro's personal security apparatus was not Venezuelan but Cuban, a critical detail underscoring Havana's deep involvement.
"It was Cubans that guarded Maduro, he wasn't guarded by Venezuelan bodyguards — he had Cuban bodyguards," Rubio asserted. He added that Maduro's entire internal security network was "propped up by Cuba," and that Cuban officials were present in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas at the time of the leader's capture.
Trump Forecasts Regime Collapse, Cites Economic Strangulation
On the same day, aboard Air Force One, U.S. President Donald Trump echoed the sentiment that Cuba's government is teetering. He pointed to the severing of its economic lifeline from Venezuela as the primary cause.
"Cuba, right now, has no income, they get all of their income from Venezuela, from the Venezuelan oil — they're not getting any of it," Trump told reporters. He predicted that the regime would fall of its own accord, stating, "I think it is just going to fall, I don't think we need any action, it looks like it's going down, going down for the count."
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who was also present, concurred with the president's assessment. "It's going down," Lutnick said. "They live off of Venezuela, the economics were all Venezuelan. The protective force of Maduro was Cuban."
Regional Implications and Cautious Global Watch
The successful capture of Nicolás Maduro, described by U.S. authorities as an accused narco-terrorist, has sent shockwaves through Latin America. The immediate aftermath has the international community closely monitoring Washington's next moves regarding Havana.
While Secretary Rubio declined to outline specific future U.S. policy steps toward Cuba, he left little doubt about the administration's stance: "I don't think it's any mystery that we are not big fans of the Cuban regime — who, by the way, were the ones that were propping up Maduro." President Trump similarly stopped short of explicitly promising military action against the Caribbean nation, focusing instead on its perceived economic and political fragility.
The events mark a significant escalation in the decades-long tension between the United States and Cuba, with the removal of its key regional ally in Venezuela creating unprecedented pressure on the Havana government. The world now waits to see if the predictions from the highest levels of the U.S. administration will materialize, potentially redrawing the political map of the region.
