Bruno Rodríguez criticizes inequality in the U.S., and he is responded to on social media: "One must have a lot of nerve."

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla again criticized the United States on Thursday for economic inequality, but the public's reaction on social media served as a reality check, once again highlighting the Cuban government's disconnect from everyday life on the island.

Rodríguez stated on X that “the U.S. is one of the most unequal countries on the planet”, citing figures from Oxfam regarding American billionaires and the percentage of the population considered low-income. The message was accompanied by an image of a homeless camp in that country.

But the chancellor's criticism triggered a wave of responses that directly contrasted the situation in the U.S. with the profound crisis facing Cuba.

Many Cubans questioned the regime's "double standard" and recalled that, despite the issues in the United States, millions of Cubans rely on that country for their survival.

“I am poor in the United States and I have to support two elderly women in Cuba because they cannot live on their retirement there,” replied a user, highlighting an uncomfortable truth that without the remittances from those “poor in the U.S.,” thousands of older adults on the island would have nothing to eat.

Other Cubans pointed out that when the chancellor speaks of "policies that concentrate power and wealth," it’s difficult to tell whether he is referring to Washington or Havana, where political elites live in privilege while the majority face blackouts, inflation, shortages, and unmanageable wages.

The most frequently repeated reaction centered around a simple yet compelling argument: if the United States is as unequal as the Cuban government claims, why do the rafts not leave for Cuba?

“Rafts always go from Havana to Miami, never the other way around”, pointed out another user. “No one risks their life to escape capitalism, but they do to flee from your model”.

There were also direct criticisms of the official propaganda: “Here in Cuba, even being poor is impossible; the poor in the United States at least eat decently”, wrote one commentator. Another quipped, saying that “in Cuba, everyone is equal: equally poor”.

Even those who acknowledge inequality in the United States noted that the contrast with Cuba is even more heartbreaking: according to an internet user, “a homeless person in the U.S. lives better than a science doctor in Cuba”.

The phrase that best encapsulated the general sentiment was striking: "You have to have a thick skin to talk about inequality in the U.S. when you don't see what is happening in Cuba."

While the Cuban chancellor tries to divert attention to the problems of other countries, the national reality is harder to hide with endless blackouts, insufficient wages, increasing poverty, massive migration, and a government that insists on looking outward instead of confronting what is happening inside.