![\"US](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/americas.JPG\" "\\"US")
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US President Donald Trump poses for a photo at the start of the “Shield of the Americas” Summit at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida, March 7, 2026. President Trump is hosting a dozen right-wing leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean to discuss issues facing the region, from organized crime to illegal immigration. The summit also aims to serve Washington by boosting US interests in the region and curbing those from foreign powers like China. (Photo by SAUL LOEB \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
SAUL LOEB<\/p>\n
AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump said Cuba is \u201cin its last moments of life,\u201d revealed that he\u2019s personally involved in negotiations to enact change on the island and defended his administration\u2019s close partnership with Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodr\u00edguez to a room of Latin American and Caribbean leaders on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cCuba\u2019s at the end of the line, they\u2019re very much at the end of the line,\u201d Trump said at the Shield of the Americas Summit at his golf course and country club in Doral. \u201cIt\u2019ll have a great new life, but it\u2019s in its last moments of life the way it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said this administration\u2019s focus right now is on Iran, but joked that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will \u201ctake an hour off\u201d and then \u201cfinish up a deal with Cuba.\u201d<\/p>\n
U.S. officials close to Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Raul Castro\u2019s grandson<\/a> in late February to discuss a potential rollback of U.S. sanctions in exchange for Cuban leaders enacting changes on the island. The country is veering toward a humanitarian crisis under a crippling U.S. oil blockade after the U.S. capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, whose administration previously supplied oil to Cuba.<\/p>\n Trump told the room he\u2019s been personally involved with negotiations with Cuba too: \u201cThey want to negotiate and they are negotiating with Marco and myself and some others,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cFour of you said, actually, could you do us a favor? Take care of Cuba. I\u2019ll take care of it,\u201d Trump said, to applause from the room. Rubio did not answer questions from press about whether he was considering military action in Cuba.<\/p>\n Trump was hosting leaders<\/a> from across Latin America and the Caribbean in Doral for what the White House describes as a landmark summit aimed at reshaping regional alliances and reinforcing U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>\n The city is colloquially known as Doralzuela for its large Venezuelan expat community. Many Venezuelans in Doral are skeptical of the U.S. working closely with Rodr\u00edguez, a Maduro ally, with no clear plan for democratic elections in the country in sight. Trump said he\u2019ll keep praising her as long as she does what he wants.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s doing a great job because she\u2019s working with us, so if she wasn\u2019t working with us, I would not say she\u2019s doing a great job. If she wasn\u2019t working with us, I\u2019d say she\u2019s doing a very poor job. Unacceptable,\u201d Trump told a room of leaders skeptical of the Maduro regime.<\/p>\n \u201cBut she\u2019s doing a great job, Marco, right?\u201d Sitting in the first row, Rubio did not react. \u201cGets along great with Marco.\u201d<\/p>\n Recently ousted Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was named as the U.S. special envoy<\/a> to Trump\u2019s new Shield of the Americas initiative. But she received no accolades from Trump during his remarks Saturday. He gave her only a brief introduction and was not invited to speak on stage like Secretaries Rubio and Pete Hegseth.<\/p>\n This story was originally published March 7, 2026 at 11:46 AM.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump addresses the first Summit of the Americas on March 7, 2026, at Trump National Doral Miami. Claire Heddles Miami Herald <\/p>\n
President Donald Trump surrounded by leaders of American states at the first Summit of the Americas on March 7, 2026, at Trump National Doral Miami. Claire Heddles Miami Herald <\/p>\n
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio listen to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth address the first Summit of the Americas on March 7, 2026, at Trump National Doral Miami. Claire Heddles Miami Herald <\/p>\n