Cuba’s Third Islandwide Blackout Spurs Trump Talk of 'Taking Cuba' and Rubio’s Call for 'New People in Charge'
Cuba suffered a third major island‑wide blackout on March 16 — described by the Energy and Mines Ministry as a "complete disconnection" of the national grid — amid months without Venezuelan oil shipments, heavy reliance on solar, natural gas and thermoelectric plants, postponed tens of thousands of surgeries, food spoilage and pot‑banging protests as authorities investigate and restore limited power to hospitals and parts of Havana. The outages have sharpened U.S.–Cuba tensions: President Trump has publicly floated taking Cuba and signaled imminent action while the administration is said to be pressing for President Miguel Díaz‑Canel’s departure in negotiations, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called for "new people in charge" tied to demands for political and economic change.
📌 Key Facts
- On March 16, 2026, Cuba suffered an island‑wide blackout after the Ministry of Energy and Mines reported a “complete disconnection” of the national electrical system affecting about 11 million people; authorities opened an investigation and activated restoration protocols.
- The outage was the third major nationwide blackout in roughly four months; crews began gradually restarting thermoelectric plants and by Monday night had restored power to about 5% of Havana (≈42,000 customers) and to several hospitals, with communications infrastructure prioritized next.
- President Miguel Díaz‑Canel said Cuba has not received imported oil shipments for months (more than three months in some statements), has been relying on solar, natural gas and thermoelectric plants, and has postponed “tens of thousands” of surgeries because of the fuel and electricity crunch.
- Cuban officials tied the crisis to halted Venezuelan oil shipments after U.S. military action in early January (including the capture/arrest of Nicolás Maduro) and to what Havana described as a U.S. “energy blockade” and threats (including proposed tariffs) against countries supplying oil to Cuba; local utility officials framed new solar projects as a national‑security necessity.
- U.S. and Cuban officials are reported to be in talks over the crisis; U.S. sources say the administration is seeking political change in Cuba and has discussed Díaz‑Canel leaving as part of negotiations tied to easing energy restrictions, along with demands for political prisoners’ release and broader liberalization.
- President Donald Trump publicly said he would have the “honor of taking Cuba,” floated a “friendly takeover,” and told reporters “we'll be doing something with Cuba very soon,” comments that reporters and officials linked to administration pressure on Havana amid the outages and economic collapse.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba “has to get new people in charge,” tied the U.S. embargo to promoting political change on the island, and argued that recently announced reforms to allow more trade are not sufficient without political and economic liberalization.
- Reactions diverge: Cuban officials and some activists blamed U.S. sanctions/embargo for harming families and grid reliability, while senior U.S. officials rejected that explanation and blamed decades of Communist rule; social‑media videos and reports show cacerolazo (pot‑banging) protests, food spoilage and growing public despair prompting some to consider leaving the island.
- Amid pressure and reported negotiations, Havana announced concessions including the planned release of 51 prisoners from the 2021 protest wave and a policy to allow Cuban nationals living abroad and their descendants (including in the U.S.) to invest in and own companies on the island, with officials emphasizing investment in infrastructure and commercial ties with U.S. companies and Cuban Americans.
📊 Relevant Data
Approximately 77% of Cuban emigrants between 2021 and 2025 were aged 15-49 years, with 56% being women, contributing to an aging population and demographic imbalance in Cuba.
Cuba empties: Exodus of one million people leaving an aging population — Universidad de Navarra
The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 allows Cuban nationals who have been physically present in the United States for at least one year to apply for permanent residency, a policy that remains in effect in 2026 and has historically encouraged migration from Cuba.
Cuban Adjustment Act in 2025: A Practical Guide to Applying for Your Green Card — De Maio Law
In 2024, 89% of Cuban households were living in extreme poverty, defined as struggling to meet basic needs, with this figure reflecting widespread economic hardship amid the energy crisis.
Cuba's economic patches create conditions for accentuating inequality — Universidad de Navarra
Afro-Cubans in Cuba face greater difficulties in accessing jobs, food, potable water, and decent housing compared to other groups, with extreme poverty disproportionately affecting people of African descent.
In Cuba, Extreme Poverty Mainly Affects People of African Descent on the Island — Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights
Cuba's economy has been characterized by government mismanagement under a Soviet-style model since 1959, contributing to the current crisis alongside external factors like U.S. sanctions and the loss of Venezuelan oil subsidies.
The Cuban Economic Crisis: Impact of Government Mismanagement and International Sanctions on a Developing Country — Michigan Journal of Economics
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
Why Is the DSA Making Friends with Communist Cuba?
"A critical City Journal commentary arguing that the DSA’s outreach to or defense of Cuba is hypocritical and dangerous given the island’s recent blackouts, repression, and governance failures, and that left‑wing anti‑imperialist posturing should not excuse normalizing an authoritarian regime."
📰 Source Timeline (10)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 17, 2026
9:00 PM
Rubio says Cuba needs ‘new people in charge’ as blackouts, unrest grip island
New information:
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking at the White House, explicitly tied the U.S. embargo to 'political change on the island' and said Cuba 'has to get new people in charge' because current leaders 'don't know how to fix' the economy.
- President Trump told reporters that 'they're talking to Marco' and that the administration will be 'doing something with Cuba very soon' and is 'dealing with Cuba,' signaling active policy deliberations.
- A senior State Department official, speaking to Fox News Digital, rejected claims that U.S. sanctions are to blame for Cuba's humanitarian crisis and framed the blackouts as 'the tragic result of over 60 years of Communist rule.'
- Cuban human rights activist Rosa María Payá was quoted saying 'the blackout is the regime's collapse made visible' and that 'pressure on the regime works,' arguing sanctions are not causing Cuban suffering and calling for the regime’s end.
- The piece more explicitly links recent blackouts to failures at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant and to fuel shortages following U.S. actions to curtail Venezuelan oil shipments to Cuba.
7:03 PM
Rubio calls for new Cuban leaders as blackout underscores economic crisis
New information:
- President Trump said on March 17, 2026 that 'we'll be doing something with Cuba very soon' and again floated the idea of a 'friendly takeover of Cuba,' explicitly tying this posture to the country’s economic crisis and repeated blackouts.
- A U.S. official and a source familiar with U.S.–Cuba talks say the Trump administration is looking for Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel to leave as part of negotiations, although they did not specify who Washington wants to see in power.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly stated that Cuba 'has an economy that doesn't work in a political and governmental system,' argued that announced reforms allowing more trade with U.S. companies are not 'dramatic enough,' and said Cuba must 'change dramatically' including releasing political prisoners and moving toward political and economic liberalization in exchange for lifting sanctions.
- The piece underscores that this Cuba posture comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s armed raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—cutting off Venezuelan oil that had supported Cuba—and recent U.S. military strikes on Iran, situating Cuba as the next potential front in an aggressive foreign‑policy pattern.
11:33 AM
U.S. seeks NATO help with Strait of Hormuz. And, SCOTUS blocks vaccine changes
New information:
- NPR characterizes yesterday’s collapse as 'another catastrophic' failure and the largest islandwide blackout since the U.S. began blocking oil shipments to Cuba in January.
- The report notes that since the blockade, Cuba has not received imported oil for its thermal plants 'for months,' reinforcing the depth of the fuel crunch.
- It adds that over the weekend Cuba announced it would release 51 prisoners from the 2021 protest wave and allow Cubans living abroad to invest in and own businesses, framed as concessions amid ongoing U.S.–Cuba negotiations.
- Trump publicly said he would have the 'honor of taking Cuba,' rhetoric that goes beyond previous pressure and suggests regime‑change ambitions.
3:14 AM
Islandwide blackout hits Cuba as it struggles with deepening energy crisis
New information:
- Confirms a specific islandwide blackout on Monday, March 16, 2026, affecting Cuba’s population of about 11 million people and described by the Energy and Mines Ministry as a 'complete disconnection' of the electrical system.
- Details that crews were restarting several thermoelectric plants gradually, with power restored by Monday night to about 5% of Havana (roughly 42,000 customers) and to several hospitals across the island, with communications infrastructure next in line.
- Reports that this is the third major nationwide blackout in the past four months, with residents describing food spoilage, constant outages and despair that is pushing some to consider leaving the island.
- Adds fresh, on-the-record regime‑change rhetoric from President Trump, who said he believes he will have the 'honor of taking Cuba' and that he could 'do anything I want with it,' while the administration demands political prisoners’ release, liberalization, and the departure of President Miguel Díaz‑Canel in exchange for easing energy sanctions.
- Cites U.S. and other sources confirming that the Trump administration is actively seeking Díaz‑Canel’s ouster and is in negotiations with Havana over Cuba’s political future, beyond earlier generic references to 'energy restrictions.'
1:29 AM
Cuba's entire electrical grid collapses, leaving whole island without power
New information:
- U.S. Embassy in Cuba stated that at 1:54 p.m. local time there was a disconnection of the national electrical grid resulting in a complete power outage across Cuba, including the Havana metro area.
- Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed a total collapse of the National Electrical System and said causes are under investigation while restoration protocols are being activated.
- Cuban President Miguel Díaz‑Canel said no fuel has entered the country for the past three months and that electricity generation has relied heavily on renewable energy in that period.
- Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos F. de Cossio publicly blamed U.S. officials for the harm to Cuban families from the blackout, explicitly tying it to Washington’s embargo and recent actions disrupting Venezuelan fuel shipments.
- Local utility officials in Villa Clara framed a new solar‑panel project as a 'national security necessity' in light of continuing U.S. restrictions on fossil fuel access.
March 16, 2026
9:42 PM
Cuba plans to open up to investment from nationals in U.S. amid pressure from Trump
New information:
- Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga says Cuba will allow Cuban nationals living abroad, including in the U.S., and their descendants to invest in companies on the island, with a policy announcement expected Monday night.
- Fraga says Cuba is open to both small and large investments, particularly in infrastructure, and to 'fluid commercial relationships' with U.S. companies and Cuban Americans.
- The report ties Cuba’s move directly to economic collapse, a collapsing energy grid, and fuel shortages aggravated by the Trump administration’s threats of steep tariffs on countries shipping oil to Cuba.
- Trump has recently described Cuba as a 'failed nation,' suggested a 'friendly takeover' is possible, said the U.S. and Cuba are talking, and claimed that 'whether I free it, take it, I think I could do anything I want with it.'
7:50 PM
Cuba hit by island wide blackout as energy crisis deepens
New information:
- Confirms the latest outage is explicitly described by Cuban officials as an 'island‑wide blackout' affecting the entire country of about 11 million people.
- Specifies that the Cuban Ministry of Energy and Mines reported a 'complete disconnection' of the national electrical system on X and is investigating.
- Details that President Miguel Díaz‑Canel said Friday that Cuba has not received oil shipments in more than three months, is operating on solar, natural gas and thermoelectric plants, and has postponed surgeries for tens of thousands of people.
- Clarifies that critical oil shipments from Venezuela were halted after the U.S. attacked Venezuela in early January and arrested then‑President Nicolás Maduro.
- Notes that Díaz‑Canel confirmed Cuba is holding talks with the U.S. government as the energy and economic problems deepen.
7:01 PM
Cuba's national energy grid collapses sparking nationwide blackout
New information:
- Cuban authorities reported an island‑wide blackout Monday, with the Ministry of Energy and Mines citing a 'complete disconnection' of the national electrical system and ongoing restoration efforts.
- President Miguel Díaz‑Canel said Cuba has not received any oil shipments in more than three months, is relying on solar, natural gas and thermoelectric plants, and has postponed surgeries for tens of thousands of people.
- The blackout is linked to the halt of critical Venezuelan oil shipments after the U.S. attack on Venezuela in early January and the arrest of then‑president Nicolás Maduro, with Havana blaming a U.S. 'energy blockade' after Trump threatened tariffs on any country supplying Cuba.
- Díaz‑Canel confirmed Cuba is holding talks with the U.S. government about the deepening crisis, while a U.S. official told CBS earlier this year that the administration seeks to negotiate a transition away from Cuba’s communist system rather than trigger regime collapse.
- Social‑media videos show cacerolazo protests—pot‑banging demonstrations—in Havana and other cities over blackouts, food shortages and deteriorating living conditions, echoing earlier unrest in 2021, 2022 and 2024.
6:26 PM
Cuba reports island-wide blackout as country struggles with energy crisis
New information:
- Confirms an island-wide blackout on Monday, March 16, with Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines reporting a 'complete disconnection' of the national grid and opening an investigation.
- Quotes President Miguel Díaz-Canel saying Cuba has not received any oil shipments in more than three months and is running on solar, natural gas and thermoelectric plants while postponing 'tens of thousands' of surgeries.
- Attributes halted critical oil shipments from Venezuela to U.S. action in early January that included an attack on the country and the arrest of then-President Nicolás Maduro.
- Notes a massive outage just over a week earlier that affected the island’s west, indicating repeated, escalating grid failures.
March 14, 2026