Rubio Pitches CIA Partnership as Trump Floats 50-Yard Naval Stopover

Marco Rubio told Cubans on Saturday that the moment to pursue political change has arrived. In a social media post, the secretary of state addressed those seeking to improve their country, pointing to broken promises, corruption, and the comfort enjoyed by a small elite. He proposed a specific path forward, suggesting Cubans create the change they want through a discrete partnership with the Central Intelligence Agency. Rubio, whose parents emigrated from Cuba before the socialist revolution, used the word discrete, which means separate. He likely meant discreet, which implies secrecy or privacy.

The post followed a speech by President Donald Trump at a rally for candidates in South Florida on Friday. Trump addressed a question from the crowd about Cuba and revived a plan he had mentioned earlier in the year but not recently. He described American warships returning from the Iran war and stopping roughly 50 yards off the Cuban coast. He said the crew would raise their hands in greeting. Then, he said, Rubio would go in to finish the deal.

The timing of these comments is close to the midterm elections. Voters in those races have expressed worry about how the Iran conflict has raised prices on essentials like gas and groceries. Trump had not spoken about the naval idea in recent months before bringing it back at this event.

Havana responded with mockery. Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, the Cuban deputy foreign minister, posted on X that the United States was resorting to public recruitment for the CIA. He joked that the agency must be in a state of desperation or misery to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste.

Relations between the two nations have been volatile. In May, Trump and Rubio raised the prospect of military action, a threat that gained weight after the administration announced criminal charges against former leader Raul Castro. Trump told reporters that earlier presidents had considered intervening for decades, but it looks like he will be the one to do it. Rubio called Cuba a long standing national security threat due to its ties to US adversaries. He said the administration wanted a peaceful resolution but doubted the current government would accept one.

Rubio had not addressed Cuba in depth for several weeks. In a Fox News interview on September 29, he said Cuba has already fallen. He described a country without a functional economy, run by people preaching a revolution that has been dead for 20 years. He expressed hope that Cuba would choose a different path and said the US would never allow it to become a base of operations against American interests. He did not mention any CIA operation in that interview.

Diplomatic efforts have been uneven. Rubio and other senior aides met with Cuban officials in recent months to explore better relations. The US side left those meetings unimpressed, and more sanctions followed. In his UN general assembly speech last month, Trump said Rubio was deep into negotiations with Cuba. Days later, he told reporters he expected a deal and did not think the military would be needed. Earlier this week, the governments clashed at the UN as Washington sought to build opposition to an annual vote condemning the US economic embargo. Cuba has faced an economic and energy crisis since 2020. Its GDP has shrunk, and its 10 million residents have dealt with blackouts, food shortages, and inflation. Hundreds of thousands have emigrated, many to the United States.