Trump says US wants to 'help' Cuba

President Donald Trump said Thursday the US is seeking to help the Cuban people and denied that the recent arrival of a US aircraft carrier near Cuba was intended to intimidate the government of the island nation.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump was asked whether the deployment of the carrier this week was meant as a warning to Havana.

“No, not at all,” Trump responded.

“The Cubans -- look, it’s a failed country. Everybody knows that they don’t have electricity, they don’t have money, they don’t have really anything. They don’t have food, and we’re going to help them along, and we’re going to help them.”

Trump said his administration’s approach to Cuba would focus on humanitarian concerns as well as strengthening ties with Cuban Americans in the US, particularly in the state of Florida.

“Number one, I want to help them, I want to on a humanitarian basis, but we have the Cuban American population, much of it living in Miami and Florida, that’s a great group of people,” said Trump. “Amazing group of people, industrious people. They’re great Americans.”

Trump said many Cuban Americans hope to eventually return to Cuba to rebuild and invest.

“They’ve wanted this stuff and they want to go back to their country, they want to help their country,” he said. “I hope they’re going to stay here, but they want to go back, they want to invest in their country and see if they can bring it back.”

Trump added that his administration wants “to open it up to Cuban Americans where they can go back and help.”