What started as a casual phrase on social media has turned into a viral phenomenon.
In recent hours, the Internet has been flooded with memes featuring the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, as a hypothetical "president of Cuba." This concept blends political humor, digital fantasy, and the deep fatigue many Cubans feel after more than six decades of dictatorship.
In the images, Rubio appears dressed as a militia member, as a peasant wearing a yarey hat, smoking a cigar, or even solemnly walking in front of the Capitolio, surrounded by a "Cuban people" who applaud him as if he has just taken power in Havana.
The tone is festive, parodying, and often deliberately absurd.
Although memes aim to provoke laughter, the avalanche of images reveals something deeper: for a significant portion of Cubans both on and off the island, the idea is not merely experienced as a joke, but as a latent political desire.
In the comments accompanying the posts, phrases such as "I hope," "may that day come," "I'll sign it right now," and even suggestions to conduct informal surveys to gauge how many Cubans would accept a leadership like Rubio's after a potential collapse of the regime are prevalent.
The meme explosion does not come from nowhere. It occurs after President Donald Trump shared on Truth Social a message from a user claiming that Marco Rubio could be president of Cuba, to which he responded with a terse yet powerful: "Sounds good to me!".
That seemingly light gesture was enough to ignite digital imagination and turn the phrase into raw material for viral political satire.
Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants and one of the strongest opponents of the regime in Havana, has become a true nightmare for Castroism for many years.
He has promoted sanctions, directly linked the fate of Cuba with that of Venezuela, and defended actions that recently culminated in the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the main political and economic ally of the Cuban regime.
In that context, memes serve as a blend of mockery and political message.
For many users, depicting Rubio in olive green uniform or posing as a "guajiro" is not just humor: it is a symbolic way of envisioning the end of the current system and a radically different transition, even if this is seen today as unlikely or legally complex.
It wouldn't be complete without Willi Chirino's "Ya viene llegando."
The current Cuban Constitution does not allow someone like Rubio -a U.S. citizen by birth- to legally aspire to the presidency; however, the one from 1940, which recognized broader rights for descendants of Cubans born abroad, continues to fuel theoretical debates in exile about possible future scenarios in a democratic Cuba.
Meanwhile, the memes continue to multiply.
What is clear is that, amid jokes, Photoshop, and emojis, an idea has firmly established itself in the Cuban digital landscape: the possibility—whether real or symbolic—of a change in era.
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