Trump describes possible stop by U.S. ships near Cuba

At a campaign rally Friday in Fort Myers on Florida's west coast, Donald Trump described a possible stop by U.S. ships near Cuba after the war with Iran. Under his scenario, the vessels would return from that conflict, pass the island and one would stop about 50 yards, or 45 meters, from shore. He framed the sequence as a future action; the available information does not confirm a deployment or set a date.

Trump added that after the stop, the people he referenced would raise their hands and that he would send Secretary of State Marco Rubio to close a deal. He did not identify those people, the negotiating counterpart or the conditions of a potential agreement. The vessels were also not named. The statement describes a sequence without explaining how it would be executed or what outcome it would produce.

In another appearance that Friday, Rubio encouraged people seeking a change of government in Cuba to pursue discreet cooperation with the CIA. The description provides no further detail about that cooperation or the individuals addressed. It places the secretary within the day's Cuba-related statements but does not establish that his appeal and Trump's idea of a deal were part of a joint negotiation.

Both references center Cuba but describe different actions. Trump spoke of ships and a possible agreement after the Iran conflict, while Rubio addressed people seeking political change on the island. The cited material provides no route, vessel names, negotiating counterpart or Cuban government response. It supports reporting what was said, not claiming that an operation was approved or carried out.