Here we go again. The world is a dumpster fire, and today we are looking at the smoke rising from our neighbors to the south. Mexico is in a bad spot. And frankly, it is hilarious in a really dark, depressing way. You have the new president down there, leading the **Claudia Sheinbaum administration**. She just got the keys to the office. She probably hasn't even unpacked her pictures yet. And what is her reward? She gets stuck in a geopolitical vice grip between the United States and Cuba.

Let’s break down the players in this stupid game. On one side, you have Donald Trump. He is back in the mix, loud as ever, and he is looking for someone to punch. It’s what he does. He doesn’t do subtle. He doesn’t do quiet diplomacy. He grabs a megaphone and screams until he gets what he wants. Right now, he is looking at **US sanctions on Cuba** and thinking, 'Let’s squeeze them until they pop.'

Then you have Cuba. Let’s be honest here. Cuba is not a country right now; it is a museum of failure. The place is falling apart. The power grid works about as well as a chocolate teapot. The people are hungry, tired, and broke. They don't have oil. They don't have money. They barely have hope. They are the guy at the bar who has owed you twenty bucks for ten years but still asks for a beer.

And then there is Mexico. Mexico likes to play the role of the cool, independent friend. They want to be friends with the big, scary United States because that is where the money is. But they also want to maintain the **Mexico-Cuba oil trade** because of history, pride, and all that sentimental garbage. For a long time, Mexico has sent oil to Cuba. It’s like bringing soup to a sick relative. It keeps the lights on in Havana for maybe another hour. It makes Mexico feel good about itself. 'Look at us,' they say. 'We help our brothers.'

But now, the United States is saying, 'Stop it.' The threat is simple. Trump and his crew are telling Mexico that if they keep facilitating **oil exports to Cuba**, there will be pain. Real pain. We are talking about sanctions. We are talking about blocking ships. We are talking about making life very hard for anyone who helps the island.

So, Sheinbaum has a choice. And it is a choice that proves how fake politics really is.

Option one: She tells the U.S. to get lost. She keeps sending the oil. She stands tall for sovereignty and friendship. It sounds nice in a speech. The crowd would cheer. But then the hammer comes down. The U.S. economy can crush Mexico without even breaking a sweat. If Trump decides to close the tap or tax them into oblivion, Mexico suffers. Real people lose jobs. Prices go up. It’s a suicide mission for a moral victory that doesn't actually fix Cuba's problems anyway.

Option two: She folds. She stops the oil. She leaves Cuba in the dark. This makes her look weak. It makes her look like a puppet of the gringos up north. The Left in her country will scream. They will call her a sellout. But the money from trade keeps flowing, and the lights stay on in Mexico City.

It is pathetic. It is all just a game of chicken where innocent people are tied to the bumpers. The embargo on Cuba has been going on since before most of you were born. Has it worked? No. The Castros stayed in power until they died or retired. The government is still there. The only thing the pressure does is make sure the average guy in Havana can’t buy medicine or fix his roof. It is performative cruelty. It makes politicians in Florida feel tough, but it changes nothing.

And Mexico’s 'friendship' is just as hollow. Sending a few barrels of oil isn't saving Cuba. It is a band-aid on a gunshot wound. It lets Mexican politicians pretend they are fighting the empire without actually taking a real risk.

Now the bluff is being called. Trump doesn't care about history. He cares about winning the news cycle. He sees a pressure point, and he pushes it. Sheinbaum is finding out that being the leader isn't about grand ideas. It is about choosing which bad option hurts less.

This is the state of the world, folks. You have a bully threatening a neighbor for helping a dying man. Everyone involved is lying about their motives. The U.S. says it is about freedom, but it’s about votes. Mexico says it is about solidarity, but it’s about image. And Cuba just starves in the dark while the rest of them argue.

Don't expect a hero to show up. There are no heroes here. Just politicians trying to save their own skins while the rest of us watch the show. Mexico will probably try to find a sneaky middle ground, sending help quietly while nodding at the U.S., but the squeeze is on. Welcome to the neighborhood.

### References & Fact-Check * **Primary Source**: [Trump’s Threats to Cuba’s Oil Suppliers Put Mexico in a Bind](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/world/americas/mexico-cuba-oil.html) (New York Times, Feb 2026) * **Key Subjects**: **Claudia Sheinbaum foreign policy**, **US-Mexico trade relations**, and **Cuba energy crisis**.