President Trump made the remarks Friday during a rally at Alico Arena at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida, while discussing Cuba after an audience member asked about the island.

“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of Cuba on our way back from Iran. We’ll do a little stopover,” Trump said.

The president described a scenario in which American warships returning from Iran would pass Cuba, with one vessel stopping just offshore. He suggested the display of U.S. military power could prompt the Cuban government to surrender.

“We’ll have one of them stop about 50 yards off the coast. They’ll raise up their hands. And then we’re going to send Marco Rubio in to finish up the deal,” Trump said.

Trump later suggested Rubio might be able to handle the situation without a warship stopping near the island.

“We could just put him in there, and he’ll figure it out. He’s a great guy,” Trump said.

Rubio, a former Florida senator and the son of Cuban immigrants, has played a central role in the Trump administration’s Cuba policy. Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to fundamentally change the island’s communist system while increasing economic and diplomatic pressure on Havana.

In September, the administration announced additional sanctions targeting Cuban elites, financial channels, and resource operations. The State Department said the measures were intended to address national security concerns involving the Cuban government.

Rubio has also questioned the long-term survival of Cuba’s current political system. In a September interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, he described the country as a failure under leaders who continue to defend a revolution that, in his view, has not delivered on its promises.

Trump’s Florida rally was held in support of Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor against Democrat David Jolly. Cuba policy remains a significant issue in Florida, home to a large Cuban American population with longstanding ties to the island.