'We Have Cuba on Our Mind': Trump Reacts to Raúl Castro Indictment

President Trump delivered the commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on Wednesday. Upon his return from Connecticut, Trump spoke with reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews.

He was asked about the Department of Justice (DOJ) announcement earlier Wednesday afternoon regarding the indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro on charges related to the February 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue (BTR) planes over international waters.

WATCH:

.@POTUS on the indictment of Raul Castro: "The Cuban population of Miami, and certainly beyond Miami... appreciate what the Attorney General just did today... We have Cuba on our mind—very important." pic.twitter.com/pJ74rkrL5a
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 20, 2026

"I think the Cuban population of Miami, and certainly beyond Miami, people that came there that were decimated, whose families were ruined, appreciate what the Attorney General just did today, and was just doing now — I was just watching it.
"So, we have Cuba on our mind — very important — been a lot of problems for a lot of years, and this was a big — I think it was a very big moment for people that...not only Cuban Americans but people that came from Cuba, that want to go back to Cuba, people that want to see their family in Cuba.
"I think this is a very big day, a very important day. They supported me to the nth degree. They supported me in levels that nobody's ever seen before. And so I think it's a very important moment."

Asked what's coming next for Cuba, Trump responded:

"What's coming next for Cuba?"@POTUS: "We're going to see. It's a failing nation, you see that—it's falling apart... but we're there to help. We're there to help the families, the people." https://t.co/1ybtHqcmsI pic.twitter.com/9BFA3JVfP1
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 20, 2026

"Well, we're going to see. It's a failing nation, you see that — it's falling apart. They have no oil, they have no mon— it's a failing nation, so, I just can't tell you that. But we're there to help, we're there to help the families, the people. And again, a lot of those people are related to me in the sense that I've had such a great relationship with Cuban Americans. They supported me at a 94 percent level — that's a pretty good level. And their, you know, their relatives are there. So, we've gotta — on a humanitarian basis, we're there to help."

ALSO SEE: Rubio to Cuba's Communist Thugs: Stop Blaming America for the Misery You Created

The President was also asked about a potential escalation with Cuba.

SEE HIS RESPONSE:

"Should we expect any escalation here [with Cuba]?"@POTUS: "No. There won't be escalation. I don't think there needs to be. Look, the place is falling apart. It's a mess, and they've sort of lost control." pic.twitter.com/Zy2tER7bV5
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 20, 2026

"With Cuba? No. No, you won't — there won't be escalation. I don't think there needs to be. Look, the place is falling apart; it's a mess. And they've sort of lost control. They've really lost control of Cuba."

So, that doesn't exactly make it sound like Operation Absolute Resolve Redux is in the works. Still...might be worthwhile to keep an eye on the Gulf of America over the next few days....

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.

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