Trump and the GOP are turning up the heat on America’s enemy.
Sen. Lindsey Graham issued a stark warning Sunday night, suggesting that Cuba’s long-standing Communist government may be approaching a breaking point following a dramatic U.S. operation targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Graham made the comments while traveling back to Washington aboard Air Force One with President Donald Trump, responding to questions about growing instability across Latin America.
“You just wait for Cuba,” Graham told reporters. “Cuba is a Communist dictatorship that has persecuted its own people for decades. Their days are numbered.”
The remarks followed reports that a U.S.-led operation over the weekend resulted in the capture of Maduro and the deaths of multiple Cuban military and intelligence personnel believed to be supporting his regime. U.S. officials said no American service members were killed during the mission.
President Trump also weighed in, telling reporters that Cuba’s political survival has long depended on Venezuela’s socialist government.
“Cuba only survives because of Venezuela,” Trump said. “And Venezuela is collapsing.”
WATCH:
Graham: You just wait for Cuba. Their days are numbered. pic.twitter.com/aFCV2pyxfi
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 5, 2026
Maduro and his wife appeared Monday before a federal judge in Manhattan, where they face serious federal charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, international drug trafficking, and illegal weapons offenses. Prosecutors allege the charges stem from years of cooperation with criminal networks that targeted the United States.
Cuba’s Communist government reacted angrily. A statement released by the office of Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the U.S. action as an “act of aggression” and accused Washington of violating international law.
Graham strongly disagreed, calling the operation a demonstration of decisive American leadership.
“This is America at her best,” Graham wrote in a post on X. “Maduro misjudged our Commander in Chief, and President Trump made clear he will not be intimidated.”
The senator has long argued that Cuban security forces play a central role in keeping Maduro in power and has repeatedly called for stronger U.S. action to counter Havana’s influence in Venezuela.
“If Cuba falls, Maduro falls,” Graham has said in past interviews, pointing to historical precedent.
He previously referenced President Ronald Reagan’s 1983 intervention in Grenada, when U.S. forces removed a pro-Communist government and expelled Cuban and Soviet military advisers.
For many conservatives, Graham’s comments reflect a broader belief that firm leadership and clear consequences—rather than endless diplomacy—are once again guiding U.S. foreign policy under President Trump.