President Donald Trump called the indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro a “very big moment” for Cuban Americans, who he believes “appreciate” the indictment.
Trump spoke to reporters on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews shortly after Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the indictment.
“I think the Cuban population of Miami, and certainly beyond Miami, people that came there that were decimated, whose families were ruined, appreciate what the Attorney General just did today,” Trump said.
“We have Cuba on our mind, very important. A lot of problems for a lot of years and… I think it was a very big moment for… not only Cuban Americans but people that came from Cuba that want to go back to Cuba, people that want to see their family in Cuba,” he added.
Trump stressed “this is a very big day, very important day” before highlighting the support he has received from Cuban Americans.
“They supported me to the nth degree. They supported me at levels that nobody’s ever seen before, and so I think it’s a very important moment,” he added.
When asked if escalation with Cuba should be expected, Trump said, “No.”
“There won’t be escalation. I don’t think there needs to be. Look, the place is falling apart. It’s a mess, and they’ve sort of lost control. They’ve really lost control of Cuba,” he added.
Trump stressed ‘we’re going to see” when asked what is next for Cuba.
“It’s a failing nation. You see that it’s falling apart. They have no oil… It’s a failing nation. So I just can’t tell you that. But we’re there to help. We’re there to help the families, the people,” he said.
Castro and others are charged for their alleged involvement in shooting down two U.S. civilian aircraft, which were unarmed, on Feb. 24, 1996. Brothers to the Rescue were operating the planes.
“The superseding indictment charges conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder,” the Justice Department noted in a release.