President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wants to bring major political change to Cuba before leaving office and would consider a short military campaign against the communist-ruled island if necessary.

Trump made the remarks during a telephone interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Salem News Channel. Asked whether he would authorize military action if force were required to free Cuba, the president said he would "certainly consider that," including a campaign lasting approximately one week.

"I want to get Cuba done before I leave," Trump said, describing the island as a failed nation that his administration is monitoring closely.

Trump also highlighted Secretary of State Marco Rubio's role in the administration's approach to Cuba, noting that Rubio's parents immigrated from the island. The president said Rubio would welcome the opportunity to help bring change to the country.

Trump said he wanted to act on behalf of Cuban Americans who fled the communist government and were mistreated before coming to the United States. He also claimed to have won 94% of the Cuban vote in Florida and said his popularity among those voters had increased since the election.

The comments represent a more aggressive tone than Trump's remarks in late September, when he told reporters he expected the United States to reach an agreement with Havana and said military action would probably not be necessary.

The administration has steadily increased economic pressure on Cuba throughout 2026. Following the Jan. 3 U.S. military operation in Venezuela that captured and removed former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, Washington restricted oil shipments to Cuba, cutting off subsidized Venezuelan supplies that had helped sustain the island's struggling economy.

Earlier this month, the administration announced another round of sanctions targeting 10 individuals and entities connected to the Cuban government, military and oil industry. Rubio, a longtime critic of Havana's communist leadership, said last month that Cuba had "already fallen" and described it as a failed state.

Trump also criticized the Cuban government during his address to the United Nations General Assembly, declaring that "freedom will be coming to Cuba." His remarks prompted the Cuban delegation to walk out of the assembly.

Rubio has repeatedly advocated a tougher U.S. policy toward Havana. During a Senate hearing in January, he said the administration "would love to see the regime there change." Trump has until January 2029, when his current presidential term ends, to pursue the changes he described.