President Donald Trump said Saturday, Sept. 26, that he does not predict U.S. military action in Cuba, after controversy from comments earlier this week at the U.N. General Assembly that the Caribbean nation's government would fail, prompting Cuban leaders to exit the hall.
"I would say that Cuba and the U.S. will make a deal," Trump told reporters on Saturday. "I don't think we'll need the military. Cuba is failing very badly. We want to help Cuba. We want to open Cuba up to our people."
Trump's comments came after a reporter asked about rumors that U.S. military units had been activated in relation to Cuba. Earlier this week, at the U.N. General Assembly, Trump said that his administration is "seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba"
and pledged that the country "will fall."
"Communism will never be coming to America, but freedom will be coming to Cuba," Trump said on Sept. 22.
Trump explained to the U.N. delegation that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in negotiations with Cuba, amid a U.S. pressure campaign against the island nation highlighted by restricted oil shipments. The Cuban delegation protested Trump's comments that the government would fail by standing up and walking out during his remarks.
"We have great Cuban Americans that want to go back. We want to open Cuba up to our people," Trump added in his Saturday morning comments to reporters outside the White House.
Contributing: Miles J. Herszenhorn and Francesca Chambers
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump on Cuba: 'I don't think we'll need the military.'
