By Armando Hernandez
Donald Trump denied that the deployment of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the Caribbean is aimed at intimidating the Cuban Governmentamid growing pressure from Washington on Havana.
During an appearance in the Oval Office, Trump was asked if the arrival of the USS Nimitz attack group in Caribbean waters sought to send a message of strength to the Executive of Miguel Díaz-Canel. The president responded bluntly: “No, not at all.”
The Republican insisted that Cuba is going through a profound economic and social crisis and assured that his intention is to keep the path of dialogue open. “We are going to help them. I want to help them, I want to do it for humanitarian reasons,” said Trump, who added that the Cuban exile in Florida “wants to return and help their country.”
“USS Nimitz Uçak Gemisi Taarruz Grubunu Küba açıklarına Küba hükümetine gözdağı vermek için mi gönderdiniz” sorusu üzerine Trump:
🔴 “Hayır, hiç de değil, onlara yardımcı olacağız”
🔴 “Diğer başkanlar 50-60 yıldır bunu inceliyor, bir şeyler yapıyor, görünüşe göre bunu beceren… pic.twitter.com/hXF1ftlR1Y
— The Cradle Turkiye (@cradleturkiye) Might per chance presumably 21, 2026
The statements come a day after the US Southern Command officially announced the deployment of the USS Nimitz and its strike group to the Caribbean. In a message published on social networks, the military organization described the aircraft carrier as “the maximum expression of readiness and presence, of unmatched range and lethality, and of strategic advantage.”
The military movement coincides with a hardening of Washington’s policy towards Cuba since Trump’s return to the White House in January. The US administration has intensified economic sanctions and the oil blockade against the island, measures that have aggravated fuel shortages and the Cuban energy crisis.
Besides, The naval deployment occurred a day after the US Attorney’s Office announced charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro for the downing of two small planes belonging to the Brothers to the Rescue organization in 1996, an incident in which four people died.
Although Trump ruled out an immediate military “escalation,” the dispatch of the Nimitz has generated regional unrest and speculation about a possible show of force similar to Washington’s recent operations in Venezuela.
From Cuba, the Government has interpreted the deployment as a hostile signal. According to regional media, sectors close to the Cuban Executive consider that Washington is trying to justify a possible military aggression and increase psychological pressure on the island’s leadership.
Keep reading:
• How the indictment of Raúl Castro in the US compares with the strategy that led to the capture of Maduro in Venezuela
• Trump insists on seeing Cuba as “a failed nation” where everything is lacking because of his government
• Director of the CIA visits Cuba and offers to end its shortage problems in exchange for reforms
