On Monday, Donald Trump ignited alarm after boasting that he could “do anything” he wants with Cuba. The comments came during an executive order signing at the White House, according to CNBC.

After a reporter asked about Cuba, Trump quickly pivoted from his previous discussion about the war in Iran to the long‑isolated Caribbean country.

He called Cuba a “failed state” and suggested it was next on his list of adversaries once the conflict with Iran winds down — though the administration has still not made it clear what a “victory” looks like or by what metrics it’s measuring success.

After Fox News reporter Peter Doocy pressed Trump on what he meant, Trump doubled down, repeating “taking Cuba” and musing that whether he “frees it or takes it,” he believes he can “do anything” with the country.

"I do believe I'll be ... having the honor ​of taking Cuba. That's a big honor. Taking Cuba in some form," Trump told reporters.​

“Whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “They’re a very weakened nation right now.” Vice President JD Vance stood behind him.

His language echoed Cold War‑era rhetoric and immediately raised questions about whether he was floating the idea of military action, a so‑called “friendly takeover,” or simply leaning into tough talk for political effect.

​Removing Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel from office is a key U.S. objective in the bilateral talks, the New York Times reports.

The remarks followed weeks of increasingly aggressive signals from Washington. South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, also recently said “Cuba’s next” and claimed the days of the island’s communist government “are numbered,” framing Trump’s foreign policy as a campaign to confront authoritarian regimes one by one.

Cuba has been battered for decades by U.S.-led sanctions and a de facto blockade, a policy rooted in its communist system and its Cold War alliance with the Soviet Union. Although former President Barack Obama briefly attempted to improve the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba by restoring diplomatic ties and easing some restrictions, Trump reversed those moves when he first took office, which tightened the economic squeeze.