According to The Wall Street Journal, Washington is trying to replicate what was done in Venezuela with Delcy Rodríguez
14ymedio, Madrid, January 22, 2026 – The administration of Donald Trump is looking for its Cuban Delcy. As revealed exclusively by the New York–based Wall Street Journal (WSJ), White House sources say the U.S. government is seeking a high-ranking official on the Island capable of reaching an agreement with Washington before the end of the year. The move would replicate what happened in Venezuela, although several analysts believe that finding a “traitor” in Cuba could be very complicated.
“These guys are much tougher nuts to crack,” Ricardo Zúñiga, a former U.S. official who was key to the “thaw” and also worked with the Trump administration, told the newspaper. “No one would be tempted to collaborate with the United States.” The expert had already expressed a similar view to The New York Times in a report speculating about that option. In the same piece, Michael Bustamante, a professor of History at Florida International University, said: “Cuba is much more of a one-party state, something Venezuela never was.”
According to the WSJ, there is a sense of encouragement in Trump’s inner circle after managing to remove Maduro from power, which is spurring them to continue against the Cuban regime, weaker than ever after the loss of its preferred partner. “In meetings with Cuban exiles and civic groups in Miami and Washington, they have focused on identifying someone within the current government who realizes what is coming and is willing to reach an agreement,” a U.S. official told the New York daily.
“In meetings with Cuban exiles and civic groups in Miami and Washington, they have focused on identifying someone within the current government who realizes what is coming and is willing to reach an agreement”
These words align with the message Trump posted on his social network, Truth, on January 11, when he urged the Island’s regime to reach an agreement “before it’s too late.” It was the same day he said there would be no more oil or money for Cuba and that talks with Havana were already under way. President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez categorically denied any dialogue and also reiterated through official media that this is U.S. propaganda aimed at sowing distrust.
The WSJ maintains that Trump is not in favor of “past regime-change strategies” and prefers any option other than a military one. “As in Venezuela, this could look like an escalation of pressure, while at the same time indicating that the White House is open to negotiating an exit,” said its source.
The U.S. has assessed the state of the Cuban economy as catastrophic, something that could worsen due to the lack of oil. The electricity deficit this Wednesday approached 2,000 megawatts, more than 60% of national demand, although this has not prevented Mexico from continuing to send crude to the Island. Among the theories most cited by analysts is that Pemex has been exporting sporadic amounts and not regular shipments like Caracas, so cutting that flow is not as indispensable. Moreover, a complete fuel shortage would cause the Island to collapse, with a possible mass exodus as a consequence, something Washington wants to avoid at all costs.
But beyond oil, the U.S. has set its sights on Cuban medical missions, the sector that still provides the regime with its largest revenues. Although the amount has fallen sharply since the cancellation of Mais Médicos in Brazil, there are still lucrative contracts abroad that Washington is trying to cancel by threatening to suspend visas for authorities who sign such agreements. The strategy has already succeeded in some Caribbean countries, such as Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Grenada.
“The rulers of Cuba are incompetent Marxists who have destroyed their country and have suffered a major setback with [the capture of] Maduro, whom they are responsible for supporting,” commented a White House official, who insisted on the idea of an agreement.
The State Department has also stressed that it is a matter of national security for the Island “to be governed by a democratic government and to refuse to host the military and intelligence services of our adversaries.”
The newspaper reviews some of the failed U.S. attempts to bring down the Castro regime, “including the CIA-backed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, to a severe embargo imposed in 1962, which became stricter over time,” although it has been eased by authorizing the export of all kinds of food to the Island.
“Cuba is a Stalinist one-party state that bans political opposition and where civil society barely exists, while Venezuela has an opposition movement, protests, and elections that used to be frequent”
The WSJ believes this reinforces the view that a negotiated exit is the only option, but it does not appear optimistic in that regard. “Cuba is a Stalinist one-party state that bans political opposition and where civil society barely exists, while Venezuela has an opposition movement, protests, and elections that used to be frequent,” the article notes.
The text also discusses how recent events in Venezuela have energized Cuban-American lawmakers, who dream of an immediate end to the regime and make no effort to hide it by posting memes on social media showing Marco Rubio himself driving a convertible through a renewed Havana.
Nevertheless, it insists that the Island’s government “has demonstrated great mastery in repressing dissent among an impoverished population” and recalls that there have been only two significant mobilizations in more than 60 years: the Maleconazo of 1994 and the Island-wide protests of 11 July 2021, known as ’11J’.
As for the warlike fervor displayed by the Island’s authorities, former Democratic congressman Joe García told the WSJ: “It’s theater. It’s a country that can’t collect its garbage and pretends it’s preparing for a conflict with the neighboring superpower.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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