As PresidentDonald Trumplaunched a new coalition against drug cartels alongside Latin American leaders in Florida on March 7, he also warned of potential action in Cuba, the latest mention in a growing list of comments the president has made toward the future of the island nation 90 miles from the U.S.
Trump's comments, which mentioned "great change" coming to Cuba, came as he spoke at theShield of the Americas Summiton March 7. The daylong event aimed at discussing strategies to bolster U.S. leadership and coalition in the Western Hemisphere also hosted leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, among others.
The summit also saw the announcement of the Shield of the Americas, a coalition of like-minded Latin American nations that the Trump administration says it created to combat narcotrafficking and solidify U.S. primacy in the Western Hemisphere. Trump officially launched the coalition at the all-day, invite-only summit at his Doral golf club near Miami.
Trump linked Cuba torecent U.S. action in Venezuelain the wake of the January raid by U.S. special forces that captured the country's then-leader Nicolás Maduro, hinting that the island could soon see change. Attention has been on the island for much of 2026, with Trumpsaying in late Februarythere could be a "friendly takeover of Cuba" as fuel shortages squeeze Havana's authoritarian government.
"As we achieve a historic transformation in Venezuela, we're also looking forward to the great change that will soon be coming to Cuba,"Trump said on March 7. "Cuba's at the end of the line, they're very much at the end of the line. They have no money. They have no oil. They have a bad philosophy; they have a bad regime that's been bad for a long time."
President Donald Trump signs the "Commitment to countering cartel criminal activity" document during the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, March 7, 2026. Trump hosted the Summit to discuss strategies to bolster U.S. leadership and coalition in the Western Hemisphere alongside the Latin American leaders of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Kristi Noem reacts as she attends the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. President Donald Trump ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from her role on March 5, announcing on social media that she would be replaced and become special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, the president's initiative for security against narcotics trafficking in the Western Hemisphere." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
U.S. President Donald Trump and Argentina's President Javier Milei gesture as they attend the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali as they attend the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader as they attend the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Panama's President Jose Raul Mulino as they attend the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele as they attend the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks next to U.S. President Donald Trump during the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as he holds the "Commitment to countering cartel criminal activity" document during the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attend the "Shield of the Americas" Summit in Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Stephen Miller, Homeland Security Advisor and White House Deputy Chief of Staff listens as President Donald Trump speaks during "The Shield of the Americas Summit," a gathering with heads of state and government officials from 12 countries in the Americas at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on March 7, 2026 in Doral, Florida. The White House describes the gathering as a landmark summit aimed at reshaping regional alliances and reinforcing U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) looks at Kamla Persad-Bissessar, SC, MP, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago as they laugh after U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned that her name sounds like Kamala as he speaks during "The Shield of the Americas Summit," a gathering with heads of state and government officials from 12 countries in the Americas at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on March 7, 2026 in Doral, Florida. Trump was referencing to his opponent in the 2024 presidential campaign Kamala Harris. The White House describes the gathering as a landmark summit aimed at reshaping regional alliances and reinforcing U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> See Trump host Latin America leaders for the 'Shield of the Americas' Summit
President Donald Trump signs the "Commitment to countering cartel criminal activity" document during the"Shield of the Americas" Summitin Miami, Florida, March 7, 2026. Trump hosted the Summit to discuss strategies to bolster U.S. leadership and coalition in the Western Hemisphere alongside the Latin American leaders of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago.
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The U.S. has put severe economic pressure on Cuba, which has long relied on oil shipments from longtime ally Venezuela. Those shipments were blocked after the capture ofMaduro. However, the Trump administration relaxed the policy the week of Feb. 23 as the crisis inside Cuba deepened andcitizens experienced power blackouts.
Trump has called on Cuban leaders in the weeks since to "make a deal" and said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who's Cuban American, is engaging at "a very high level" with Havana. He reiterated those talks at the summit, at one point suggesting that Rubio take time off to "finish up a deal on Cuba."
"They want to negotiate, and they are negotiating with Marco and myself and some others, and I would think a deal would be made very easily with Cuba, but for 50 years, I've been hearing...about Cuba," Trump said at the summit. "Cuba's in its last moments of life as it was. It'll have a great new life, but it's in its last moments of life the way it is."
In a moment that earned applause from the crowd of world leaders, Trump added that he would "take care" of Cuba for the other Latin American countries.
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"Many of you have come today and they say, 'I hope you can take care of Cuba' because you've had problems with Cuba, right, you mentioned. I was surprised, but four of you said, actually, 'Could you do us a favor? Take care of Cuba.' I'll take care of it, okay?" he said.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel denounced and responded to Trump's remarkson social media, writing that the summit and coalition point to an acceptance of "the lethal use of U.S. military force to solve internal problems" by the Latin American leadership attendees.
"It is an attack against the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a (Zone of Peace), an attack on the aspirations for regional integration, and a manifestation of the willingness to subordinate to the interests of the powerful neighbor of the North under the precepts of the Monroe Doctrine," he wrote.
Summit news:Noem debuts as Trump envoy at Latin American leader summit after DHS ouster
Trump hasrepeatedly linked U.S. action to the Monroe Doctrine, one of the most consequential U.S. foreign policy agendas in the 19th century, which outlined how the U.S. government considered South and Central America a strategic "backyard," or a region that should fall under American influence rather than European.
Though past presidents have moved away from the framework, Trump has used it to justify operations in Venezuela, calling it the "Donroe Doctrine." He also linked that name to the new "Shield of the Americas" coalition of leaders on March 7 andon social media.
"As these situations in Venezuela and Cuba should make clear, under our new doctrine... we will not allow hostile foreign influence to gain a foothold in this hemisphere," Trump said at the summit. "We're not going to allow it, and together, we'll protect our sovereignty, our security and our cherished freedom and independence."
Contributing: Kathryn Palmer,Zac Anderson, Francesca Chambers,Rick Jervis, Kim Hjelmgaard,Jayme Fraser,C. A. Bridges,
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or on X @katecperez_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump warns of change coming to Cuba at Shield of the Americas Summit