The official journalist Jorge Legañoa Alonso rejected the possibility of a capitalist Cuba, but acknowledged that the communist revolution has faced decades of shortages and misery.
His statements took place on February 17, 2026, during the show Mundo 20/20, in an episode titled “Trump Against Cuba,” dedicated to what they described as the “interventionist escalation” of President Donald Trump towards the island.
During the segment, Legañoa stated that "Cubans have the ability to be resilient, to reinvent ourselves in the face of every problem," and acknowledged that economic difficulties have been constant.
“Today it may be fuel, tomorrow it may be food. The revolution has shown that there have been shortages and high prices for about 70 years, more or less, depending on the era and international alliances,” he expressed.
He, also the president of the Latin American Information Agency Prensa Latina — a position he was appointed to in 2025 — stated that the key to facing the crisis lies in "the unity of the people," and defended the continuation of the socialist system.
"There is the ability to prevent them from returning," he said in reference to a possible change in the political and economic model.
Capitalism and the Example of Puerto Rico
Legañoa questioned the viability of a capitalist system on the island. "There is still not a single person who has gone to a Cuba under capitalism and returned to tell us that things were better for Cuba in capitalism," he said.
Additionally, he cited Puerto Rico as an example, describing it as "the most direct reference to what could happen in a pro-U.S. capitalist Cuba annexed to the United States, as some seers try to make us believe."
The statements come in the context of a deep economic crisis in Cuba, characterized by prolonged blackouts, shortages of food and fuel, inflation, and a sustained decline in the standard of living.
Legañoa's words, acknowledging seven decades of shortcomings under the revolution, reignite the debate about the current economic model and the alternatives for the country's future.
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