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Senate Republican predicts the fall of the Cuban regime
By Alex Nitzberg
Published January 07, 2026
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is predicting that the Cuban regime will fall, possibly in 2026 or 2027.
Scott had said during an appearance last year on "60 Minutes" that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro's days were "numbered," predicting that "whether it's internal or external," something would "happen."
He also predicted that the removal of Maduro would "be the end of Cuba."
So far, the first part of the senator's prediction has been fulfilled, as the U.S. captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and extradited him to New York last week.
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Sen. Rick Scott in the Senate subway during a vote at the U.S. Capitol on March 14, 2025. (Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Scott stood by his prognostication during a Tuesday appearance on NewsNation, forecasting that the end of the "Díaz-Canel regime" will "happen."
"Everything takes longer than you think," Scott said, noting that he thinks the Cuban regime will probably fall "maybe this year, maybe next year."
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Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in handcuffs, are escorted into an armored car en route to a Manhattan federal courthouse on Jan. 5, 2026, in New York City. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images via Getty Images)
"So who knows when it's gonna happen. But we're gonna get democracy," Scott said.
TRUMP SAYS CUBA IS ‘READY TO FALL’ AFTER CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA'S MADURO
President Donald Trump and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speak to the media aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 4, 2026. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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President Donald Trump said during a Sunday gaggle aboard Air Force One that "Cuba is ready to fall."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/senate-republican-predicts-fall-cuban-regime