Related videos:
The Republican congressman Byron Donalds, the favored candidate for governor of Florida, stated in an interview with NBC that his vision for Cuba is clear: The regime must go. That is my vision. The regime must go.
Donalds, supported by Donald Trump for the elections on November 3, 2026, articulated in detail the kind of Cuba he wants to see: "A free Cuba that respects freedom and property rights. I want to see a Cuba that allows those who fled the revolution to return, or as Marco puts it, that thing, because it wasn't even a revolution for the people, it was a revolution for communism."
The congressman was direct about the future he envisions for Cubans in exile: "We want to see those who fled be able to return to their country and come back to a nation based on freedom, peace, property, merit, and a work ethic."
He closed his statement with a phrase of clear political significance: "I believe that a free Cuba will be a great partner for Florida."
These words align with a stance that Donalds has maintained and intensified since the beginning of his campaign. On February 11, he posted on X: "My position on Cuba is clear: the Cuban regime is a brutal and murderous communist dictatorship that has destroyed the freedom of the Cuban people for generations. The regime must go."
On March 17, it was made even clearer that the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 cut off the Venezuelan supply of between 26,000 and 35,000 barrels of oil per day that the island was receiving, leaving the regime at its moment of greatest weakness. "we need to tighten the screws. It’s time for that regime to fall," he stated at that time.
Donalds leads the Republican gubernatorial primaries in Florida with between 28% and 30% of voter intent according to polls from March 2026, and enjoys up to 62% support among Republican primary voters according to pollster Ryan Tyson. In the general election scenario, he surpasses Democrat Jerry Demings 43% to 36%, according to a poll from the University of North Florida.
The Cuban-American community in Florida —approximately 1.6 million people— is a crucial electorate for his candidacy, and the demand for regime change in Cuba has become the central focus of his campaign leading up to the Republican primaries on August 18, 2026.
Filed under: