g.sarkar wrote: ↑07 Mar 2026 01:47
Trump says he’ll help pick Iran’s leader, predicts regime change in Cuba
The president told POLITICO that “Cuba’s going to fall,” revealed his growing frustration with Ukraine and discussed the uncertain search for a new leader of Iran.
Dasha Burns, 03/05/2026
President Donald Trump is on the warpath: In an interview Thursday, he dismissed concerns about the Iran war, told POLITICO the United States would help choose Iran’s next leader, predicted the downfall of the Cuban regime and attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the tech giant Anthropic.
The president is facing domestic political backlash on numerous fronts, including criticism of the Iran war from within the MAGA coalition and unrelenting attacks from Democrats over the cost of living.
But speaking in a phone call Thursday, Trump was entirely on offense. He brushed off worries about the impact of the Iran war on gas prices and U.S. ammunition reserves, and he insisted that the military onslaught was popular with voters. Many recent public polls show the opposite is true, although a survey released Thursday by Fox News found voters have mixed opinions on Iran.
“People are loving what’s happening,” Trump insisted. He predicted that Iran’s government would not be the last to buckle in a Trump-initiated confrontation: “Cuba’s going to fall, too.”
“We cut off all oil, all money, or we cut off everything coming in from Venezuela, which was the sole source. And they want to make a deal,” he said.
Intervention in Cuba
Asked whether the United States was playing a role in the Cuban government’s demise, Trump responded: “Well, what do you think? For 50 years, that’s icing on the cake. Venezuela is doing fantastically. [Delcy Rodríguez] is doing a fantastic job. The relationship with them is great.”
Trump also confirmed the United States is in touch with Cuba’s communist leadership as instability on the island intensifies following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
“They need help. We are talking to Cuba,” Trump said.
And he suggested the island’s worsening situation is partly the result of U.S. pressure, including cutting off the Venezuelan oil supplies that once sustained Havana.
“Well, it’s because of my intervention, intervention that is happening,” Trump said. “Obviously, otherwise they wouldn’t have this problem. We cut off all oil, all money, … everything coming in from Venezuela, which was the sole source.”
“How long have you been hearing about Cuba — Cuba, Cuba — for 50 years?” Trump added. “And that’s one of the small ones for me.”
Confidence on Iran
Speaking as U.S. military operations against Iran continue to dominate the administration’s foreign policy agenda, Trump indicated the United States intends to play a significant role in shaping Iran’s postwar political landscape.
Asked how much influence he expects to have over Iran’s future leadership, Trump replied: “I’m going to have a big impact, or they’re not going to have any settlement, because we’re not going to have to go do this again.”
“We’ll work with the people and the regime to make sure that somebody gets there that can nicely build Iran but without nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
The president also weighed in on the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son, who is in contention to be the new supreme leader saying, “Now they’re looking at the son. The reason the father wouldn’t give it to the son is they say he’s incompetent.”
Trump emphasized the U.S. is going to “work with them to help them make the proper choice” because he wants to avoid having a head of Iran “that’s going to lead to having to do this again in another 10 years.”
Trump projected confidence about the campaign’s trajectory and dismissed concerns that rising gas prices tied to the conflict could hurt Republicans politically ahead of the November elections that could break the party’s power trifecta in Washington.
......
Gautam
