"I remind people that at the end of the day, I work for the United States of America. I care about Cuba, and obviously, I have a personal connection to it, but I don't work for Cuba. I work for the United States, and I believe it's in our national interest to have a Cuba that is secure, stable, and aligned with the U.S. Rubio suggested that Cuba would follow a similar transformation process, with the goal of having this path "well underway" before the Trump administration concludes. The podcast statements come amid a maximum pressure campaign against the Cuban regime that the Trump administration has executed since January 2026.