The U.S. Is Actively Seeking Regime Change in Cuba by the End of the Year

Emboldened by the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration is searching for Cuban government insiders who can help cut a deal to push out the Communist regime by the end of the year, people familiar with the matter said.

The Trump administration has assessed Cuba's economy as being close to collapse and that the government has never been this fragile after losing a vital benefactor in Maduro, these people said. Officials don't have a concrete plan to end the Communist government that has held power on the Caribbean island for almost seven decades, but they see Maduro's capture and subsequent concessions from his allies left behind as a blueprint and a warning for Cuba, senior U.S. officials said.

"I strongly suggest they make a deal. BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE," President Trump stated in a Jan. 11 social-media post in which he said "NO MORE OIL OR MONEY" would be going to Cuba.