President Donald Trump on Thursday doubled down on his insistence that the U.S. would provide support to Cuba and indicated an expectation that the Cuban expat community would return to the island to foster its rehabilitation.

"It's a failed country, everybody knows it. They don't have electricity, they don't have money, they don't have really anything... and we're going to help them along," he told reporters. "We want to open it up to Cuban Americans so they can go back and help."

Trump has previously hinted at what he called a "friendly takeover" of Cuba, but has downplayed the prospect of an "escalation" against Havana, which has confirmed talks with Washington.

The island is currently facing significant social and political unrest amid an energy crisis that has seen much of the population contend with rolling blackouts.

Notably, the Department of Justice this week indicted Raul Castro, 94, over his alleged involvement in shooting down an airplane in the 1990s. The 94-year-old Castro is the brother of the late Fidel Castro, the founder of the communist regime.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.