President Trump talked about the successful operation in Venezuela of the removal of the country’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro, and that it means Cuba is in a whole lot of trouble now.
During a sit-down interview on Thursday with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump discussed what’s going to happen next in Venezuela now that Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are in the U.S. awaiting trial and what it means to Cuba.
READ MORE: Casualty Toll in Venezuela Shows What President Trump Meant When He Said 'Very Violent'
Trump Puts Venezuela Over a Barrel With New Move on China, Russia, Seizure of Sanctioned Tankers
.@POTUS: "Cuba gives protection to Venezuela, and Venezuela gives Cuba money through oil — and it’s worked that way for a long time — but it doesn’t work that way anymore, so I don’t know what Cuba's going to do. I think Cuba's going to fail." pic.twitter.com/K4pRsaKQHs
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 9, 2026
“Cuba totally relies on Venezuela for money and for oil, and they give Venezuela protection,” Trump said. “That was always the deal. But Cuba gives protection to Venezuela and Venezuela gives Cuba money through oil, and it’s worked that way for a long time.”
“But it doesn’t work that way anymore, so I don’t know what Cuba's going to do. I think Cuba's going to fail,” he added. “It’s got. I don’t think there are any alternatives for Cuba.”
Watch: SecState Marco Rubio Outlines Venezuela's New Recovery Roadmap
At one point in the interview, Hannity admitted he doesn’t know how Cuba will survive without that financial support coming from the former Venezuelan president. And Trump talked about the great people we have in this country from Cuba, mentioning people like his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
Trump: We have great people from Cuba. Marco Rubio is great.
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) January 9, 2026
Hannity: Somebody told me today it was Marco’s revenge.
Trump: Maybe it was... pic.twitter.com/F4VYgAZgUh
“We have great people from Cuba. Marco Rubio is great,” President Trump explained. “He knows Cuba very well.”
“Somebody told me today it was Marco’s revenge,” Hannity replied.
Trump admitted, “Maybe it was,” adding, "We want to do something to help Cuba."
Hannity also pressed the president on what’s next for Venezuela.
.@POTUS on Venezuela: "We're going to be working with them... We'll be running the oil. I'm meeting tomorrow with all of the big oil executives... They're going to go in, they're going to rebuild the whole oil infrastructure." pic.twitter.com/yZl2DqPhni
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 9, 2026
“We're going to be working with them — leadership of the country…we’re going to be there until we straighten out the country,” Trump explained. “But we'll be running the oil. I'm meeting tomorrow with all of the big oil executives... They're going to go right here in the White House... they're going to rebuild the whole oil infrastructure."
As RedState's RC Maxwell reported, news broke last weekend of the very successful U.S. operation in Caracas to extract Maduro and his wife and bring them to the U.S.
Maxwell's report read:
U.S. Special Operations forces executed a lightning-fast raid in Venezuela in the early-morning hours Saturday, capturing and arresting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on charges of narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, was also captured in the raid.
Still lots of moving parts with this action in Venezuela and the new "Donroe" doctrine. Stay tuned to RedState for updates.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member