The Cuban-American congressman Mario Díaz-Balart stated that if “the Cuban people were to take to the streets en masse” and regime forces started to kill Cubans, “it would look very bad” because President Donald Trump—according to him—“would not accept that," in a context where he assured that the United States Armed Forces are in the region.
The statements were made during an interview on the program “Enemies of Freedom” on Radio y TV Martí, hosted by Emmanuel Rincón.
In his statement, Díaz-Balart contrasted this scenario with the period of Joe Biden's administration, asserting that when protests occurred in Cuba in 2021, the Cuban people did not have —according to him— the support of the United States, while now, he claimed, there would be "attention" and backing from Washington.
In the interview, the legislator described a situation where the population might go out “to take to the streets” and enter “the buildings” to say “enough is enough,” warning that this could lead to a “very violent” scenario.
In that context, he stated that, if the repression escalated to murders, the Trump administration would not tolerate it.
He also stated that, at the present moment, “there is only one person” who can decide the use of the U.S. Armed Forces, and that person is the President of the United States, but he reiterated that, in his opinion, Trump would not accept a massacre of civilians in Cuba.
Díaz-Balart framed his comments within a regional perspective. He stated that Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua are part of the same authoritarian "cancer" and asserted that the Trump administration is not willing to accept "tyranny in this hemisphere" nor to tolerate governments that, in his opinion, open the doors to "enemies" of the United States, mentioning Iran, Russia, and China.
Regarding Venezuela, he stated that the country is on a "trajectory" towards a democratic transition, although he described it as a "transitional period" that requires sustained pressure.
"The Only Way Out": Conditions to Alleviate Sanctions
The legislator insisted that, in his opinion, U.S. "law" is clear about the conditions to ease the pressure on Havana: a "full transition" to democracy, with the release of all political prisoners, the legalization of basic freedoms (press, expression, independent parties, independent unions), and the calling of supervised multiparty elections.
During the conversation, Díaz-Balart also mentioned the case of Hermanos al Rescate, stating that the 30th anniversary was being commemorated. He asserted that they have officially requested President Trump and the Department of Justice to review and reopen the case, claiming that there would be no statute of limitations for potential charges and that there would be evidence to prosecute Raúl Castro for murder.
The congressman also highlighted the figure of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to whom he attributed a central role in foreign policy towards the hemisphere and described as a interlocutor who knows the region "like no one else." He also stated that Rubio is implementing President Trump's policy.
Towards the end, Díaz-Balart stated that "the day of Cuba's freedom" is "closer than ever" due to the regime's weakness, the people's frustration, and the Trump administration's focus in the hemisphere, and he reiterated that, in his view, there would be no negotiation to keep the "tyrannies" in power.
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