There has been a lot to absorb on Thursday from President Trump, and the day isn't over yet. As RedState shared earlier, the commander in chief tweaked the duties of the vice president, pulling his second-in-command, JD Vance, off dealing with Iran and back to being laser-focused on fraudsters trying to rip off the American people.
In another spate of action, Trump put to bed the notion of making a deal with the Iranian regime completely, announcing that since the U.S. maintains control of the Strait of Hormuz, and as he put it, "[w]e’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars," it's a moot point.
As my colleague Ben Smith wrote, President Trump also gave his take on Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang resigning as CEO of the tech firm on Thursday.
As I hinted up top, he was not done. Trump had a sit-down with Salem News' Hugh Hewitt, which aired on Thursday, and covered a range of topics. Hewitt invited him to give an update on the U.S.'s plans on "freeing Cuba," especially during the lame-duck presidency the Trump administration now finds itself in.
Trump stood firm on "get[ting it] done before I leave."
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I want to get Cuba done before I leave, yeah. We have a very good, talented guy for Cuba named Marco. https://t.co/BLJILtcsAl
— Department of State (@StateDept) November 12, 2026
"We have a...talented guy from Cuba named Marco...his parents are from Cuba," Trump said. "He would love to do that. We're watching it very closely," adding that the island nation under the Castro family's authoritarian regime is "a failed place."
One of the other topics, AI (artificial intelligence), was part of a larger canvas involving China, possibly the United States' fiercest and most dangerous rival in the sector
“WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS.” @POTUS warns the U.S. cannot afford to lose its edge in artificial intelligence, calling the technology's importance “beyond belief.” He also weighs in on the debate over data center construction and energy demands. @HughHewitt #AI #SI #SuperIntelligence https://t.co/IGTkUnMg1X
— Salem News Channel (@WatchSalemNews) November 12, 2026
As we recently wrote, Trump handed out honors to several tech industry pioneers, including Elon Musk and Huang.
Trump also addressed the rampant misinformation the Left spread ahead of the midterm elections on data centers, explaining that they create quite a lot of energy and end up reducing community members' power bills.
The president then gave a warning to the CCP about underestimating our nation's ability to conduct counterintelligence right back at them.
President Trump warns China that the U.S. is watching its moves, saying American intelligence operations are just as active as Beijing’s. @HughHewitt #AI #China https://t.co/gGHW2BGRX4
— Salem News Channel (@WatchSalemNews) November 12, 2026
Hewitt pressed Trump on his upcoming meeting with China's President Xi at the UN conference next week, asking whether the U.S. can "leverage" this area to get detained American Jimmy Lai back home.
The president said he believed so, noting that "I've gotten others out," but saying Lai's situation is different from the others. He continued that he has spoken "at length" already with Xi on gaining Lai's freedom.