President Donald Trump arrives to the commencement ceremony on Cadet Memorial Field at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., on May 20, 2026. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
President Donald Trump said on May 20 that the United States will not escalate actions against Cuba, in comments following the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) unsealing of murder charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro.
“There won’t be escalation. I don’t think there needs to be,” Trump told reporters. “Look, the place is falling apart. It’s a mess. They’ve sort of lost control. They’ve really lost control of Cuba.”
Hours earlier, the DOJ unsealed the indictment, charging 94-year-old Castro with the 1996 murder of four humanitarian aid workers, three of whom were Americans and the other a lawful resident. Castro was charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder.
