'What the president said': Republican caught off guard after CNN host quotes Trump to her

A Republican lawmaker cracked up laughing on camera as a CNN reporter spoke with her about the possible war in Cuba.

Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) on Thursday spoke with CNN's Boris Sanchez after President Donald Trump's administration announced the indictment of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro this week. He is being charged with an alleged attack on two civilian planes in 1996.

Trump was asked about the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, which arrived with escort warships in the Caribbean on Wednesday. Reporters questioned whether his move was a warning to Cuba.

"Not at all," Trump claimed.

As Sanchez read that quote, the cameras showed Salazar, who began laughing at Trump's comment.

"Yeah, not at all? Really?" she mocked with a chuckle.

"I mean, that's what the president said," Sanchez replied.

"I know, but, you know, it makes — it's hilarious," she stumbled. "What — what's really happening here? Because why would you be sending one of the biggest aircraft carriers in the world to the Caribbean if you're not sending a very big, loud signal to the Castro family, boys."

She then apologized for interrupting Sanchez with her laughter, saying she hadn't heard Trump's comments.

"Yeah, the president said it wasn't meant to send a message at all. This carrier had been — the strike group had been sort of off the coast of Brazil doing exercises. Now it's moved to Cuba. There are questions about whether this is the setup for an effort to forcibly remove Raúl Castro from the island. Is that a move that you would support?" Sanchez asked her.

She explained that she supports everything the president does but said that the elder Castro likely isn't running anything in the country and that it is the children and grandchildren who are calling the shots.

The GOP lawmaker then pivoted to praise the president again, saying she loved what he was doing and that he was preventing another humanitarian crisis on the island.

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