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The Cuban-American congresswoman María Elvira Salazar warned the Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel that justice will come for him "sooner or later" following the ultimatum sent by Trump this Sunday to the Havana regime.
“ As a dictator placed in power, you will have to answer for all the atrocities that you and your predecessors inflicted on the Cuban people,” Salazar stated on X, responding to Díaz-Canel's reaction to Trump's message.
The congresswoman went on to enumerate the crimes of the Cuban regime: “For the aircraft of Brothers to the Rescue shot down in cold blood. For the executions. For the political prisoners. For the families destroyed and forced into exile. For a country held hostage for decades by fear and repression.”
"You do not represent the people. You represent a criminal machine sustained by terror," he added.
"History does not forget. Justice will come, sooner or later. And impunity comes to an end," he concluded.
Díaz-Canel's reaction to Trump's ultimatum
With the tone of someone who feels cornered and responds with slogans, Miguel Díaz-Canel reacted this Sunday to the verbal and political offensive launched from Washington by Donald Trump.
His message, shared on social media, comes amidst an unprecedented escalation of regional tension that has left the Cuban regime without its main external support and facing a direct threat of total suffocation.
"Those who turn everything into a business, even human lives, have no moral authority to criticize Cuba," wrote the Cuban leader, visibly upset.
In his post, he accused the United States of acting with "rage" over the Cuban people's decision to maintain their political model and reiterated that the embargo is to blame for the shortages plaguing the country.
The message concluded with a warning that "no one dictates what we should do." Additionally, the leader stated that Cuba "does not threaten, it prepares" and is willing to defend itself "to the last drop of blood."
Díaz-Canel's response comes just hours after Trump issued an unprecedented ultimatum to the regime in Havana. From his account on Truth Social, the U.S. president announced the definitive end of the oil and money that Cuba has received for years from Venezuela in exchange for "security services" to the chavismo. "There will be no more oil or money for Cuba. Nothing!" Trump declared, while advising Havana to "reach an agreement before it's too late."
The message had an immediate impact. Not only because of its threatening tone, but also due to the context surrounding it, following the recent capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro after a U.S. military operation in Caracas and the confirmation that dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban military personnel died during the offensive.
Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez denied that Cuba has ever charged for security services. However, beyond the denials, the nervousness is evident.
Díaz-Canel's reaction also coincided with symbolic gestures that have further ignited social media. Trump shared an AI-generated image of himself smoking a cigar on a street in Havana, surrounded by Cuban flags and almendrones.
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