President Donald Trump sparked a walkout at the United Nations General Assembly in New York Tuesday after openly predicting the demise of a neighboring country.
“My administration is also seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba, where the communist regime is under great pressure, the biggest pressure they’ve ever been under,” Trump said. “It’s an absolutely failed state — it’s failing like never before and it will fall. Marco Rubio is handling a negotiation; he’s deep into negotiations with Cuba. Let’s see what happens.”
As Trump delivered his ominous prediction for Cuba, the nation’s United Nations delegation could be seen standing up and leaving the General Assembly Hall.
The Trump administration has aggressively starved Cuba of resources with crippling sanctions that have shuttered hospitals and made food scarce. Reports have also revealed that Trump had actively considered launching a military operation against Cuba and abducting its leaders, much like he had authorized with the kidnapping of Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro in January.
The United States has maintained a 66-year embargo against Cuba, which has been internationally condemned since 1992. The embargo was imposed shortly after the overthrow of the U.S.-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959, who permitted Cuba to become what’s been described as a “virtual slave state,” allowing its resources and infrastructure to be largely “owned by American companies.”
“Will not allow a haven for foreign adversaries to threaten America on our own doorstep,” Trump continued. “It’s right at our doorstep.”
The Cuban delegation walks out of the speech while Trump calls their country a failed state. pic.twitter.com/wDlrldpZpN
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 22, 2026