President Donald Trump used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to sharply criticize Cuba’s communist government, calling it an “absolutely failed state” and saying it is “failing like never before” and will fall.

Trump also said his administration is seeking a fundamental change in Cuba and indicated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is involved in negotiations with Havana. Rubio’s parents were born in Cuba before immigrating to the United States.

The Cuban delegation walked out of the U.N. assembly hall during Trump’s remarks. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez later rejected the president’s comments as falsehoods and slanders.

Trump’s comments have received support from Cuban-American Republicans in Florida, where opposition to Cuba’s communist government has been a major political issue for decades.

Florida state Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, R-Miami, whose parents fled Cuba, said the Cuban government has “no economy, no legitimacy, and no future.” Porras, who has received Trump’s endorsement, credited the administration with applying greater pressure on Havana than previous presidents.

The Trump administration’s pressure campaign has included sanctions against Cuban entities and a federal criminal case targeting senior members of the Castro regime.

In May, the Justice Department unsealed a superseding indictment charging former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and five other Cuban officials over their alleged roles in the 1996 shootdown of two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based group Brothers to the Rescue. Four people were killed, including three U.S. citizens. The charges remain allegations unless proven in court.

The United States has also targeted the Cuban military-controlled conglomerate Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A., or GAESA, with sanctions. The State Department has described GAESA as controlling a substantial portion of Cuba’s economy.

Cuba continues to face severe economic problems, including widespread power outages and shortages of fuel and other basic necessities. The island’s economic conditions have become another point of contention between Havana and Washington.

Miguel Granda, a Republican candidate for a Florida House seat and former legislative aide, also criticized Cuba’s government, saying Cubans have spent more than six decades living under a system that restricts political freedoms and has struggled to provide basic necessities.

Ian Vallecillo, a Republican Sweetwater city commissioner who said he studied under Rubio at Florida International University, pointed to Rubio’s family background as a factor in his potential role in shaping U.S. policy toward Cuba.

The exact substance of the discussions between Washington and Havana has not been publicly disclosed. Cuban officials have previously said negotiations with the United States stalled, while the Trump administration continues to use economic pressure to push for changes on the island.

Trump’s remarks at the United Nations therefore come as Washington maintains pressure on Cuba while leaving open the possibility of negotiations over the future of the communist government