Trump says he will have "honor" of taking Cuba

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday he believes he will have the "honor" of taking Cuba, as the Caribbean island faces a deepening energy crisis.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump stated: "I really think I will have the honor of taking Cuba, in some way." He clarified his remarks by adding: "I mean liberating it, or taking it. I think I can do whatever I want, if you want me to be honest. It is a very weakened nation right now."

Trump's comments came as Cuba experienced a total blackout of its electrical system Monday. The Ministry of Energy and Mines reported a complete disconnection of the country's power grid and said it was investigating the situation. The blackout followed another widespread outage more than a week earlier that left the western part of the island without power.

Cuban authorities attributed the power crisis to an energy blockade imposed by Washington. In January, Trump had warned of tariffs against any country supplying crude oil to Cuba. The U.S. intervention in Venezuela to remove Nicolás Maduro earlier this year led to a halt in petroleum supplies to the island, exacerbating the energy shortage.

The Cuban government, led by Miguel Díaz-Canel, has been dealing with the collapse of the island's electrical system amid the broader energy crisis. Trump's remarks represent an escalation in tensions between Washington and Havana at a time when Cuba is already struggling with severe shortages and infrastructure failures.