Trump on Cuba: 'They're a very weakened nation right now'

President Donald Trump said he believes he'll have "the honor of taking Cuba," an escalation of language as the United States continues to put pressure on the island nation approximately 90 miles south of Florida.

"I do believe I'll be...having the honor of taking Cuba. That’s a big honor," Trump told reporters at the White House on March 16. "...Whether I free it, take it — think I could do anything I want with it, you want to know the truth. They're a very weakened nation right now."

Cuba has seen increased economic struggle in recent months after the U.S. cut off oil supply to the island following the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3. Trump repeatedly warned Cuba to make a deal with the U.S. or face losing oil access. In the months since Maduro's capture, Venezuelan oil shipments to the country have weaned, rendering planes, cars and people without oil in many cases.

That struggle hit a breaking point on March 16 with the collapse of Cuba's national electric grid, plunging 10 million people into darkness amid the oil blockade that has worsened the island's already outdated generation system. It is the latest blackout in a series of outages, including one sparking a rare violent protest in the communist-run country over the weekend.

Trump's March 16 comments came amid reports that the U.S. and Cuba are in conversation and could soon reach a deal, though it is not yet publicly known what that deal may look like. USA TODAY previously reported that it could include a relaxation on Americans' ability to travel to Havana, an off-ramp for President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Castro family remaining on the island and deals on ports, energy and tourism. The U.S. government has also floated dropping some sanctions.

Cuba's top diplomat in Washington told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview on March 13 that Havana was engaged in "serious" and "sensitive" negotiations with the U.S. government. Lianys Torres Rivera declined to say how far along the talks may be while stressing the Cuban government has been a reliable partner. Cuban leadership also confirmed on March 13 that talks have taken place between Havana and Washington but also did not share any details of said deal.

Trump doubled down on those confirmations in his March 16 comments.

"I can tell you that they're talking to us. It's a failed nation. They have no money, they have no oil, they have no nothing," Trump said March 16. "They have nice land. They have nice landscape. It's a beautiful island. I think they have great people, you know, I know so many people from Cuba that were treated terribly and they're over here, they became rich. They're very entrepreneurial people."

Economic exchange between the U.S. and Cuba could also soon be a reality, Cuba leadership has hinted. Cuba’s economic czar and its deputy prime minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga said his country was "open to maintaining a fluid commercial relationship with U.S. companies" and "also with Cubans living in the United States and their descendants" in a March 16 interview with NBC News.

Still, details of the prospective deal and exact timing are not known, and Trump's March 16 comments comes as the latest in a series of warnings amid conversations with Cuba. Trump has previously said Cuba's "going to fall pretty soon" unless it makes a deal with him. He has also suggested, without elaborating, that he could pursue a "friendly takeover" of the island nation.

Contributing: Francesa Chambers and Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY; Reuters

Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] or on X @katecperez_.