Miguel Díaz-Canel rejected on Thursday, with visible irritation, the possibility of stepping down from power during his first interview with a U.S. television network, granted to NBC News in Havana, while the Cuban people endure power outages of up to 22 hours a day and an economy that has fallen 23% since 2019.
The journalist Kristen Welker, moderator of Meet the Press, directly asked him if he would be "willing to resign to save his country." Díaz-Canel's response was emphatic: Resignation is not part of our vocabulary.
The Cuban leader grew irritated at the question and countered: "Do you ask that question to Trump?" suggesting that the inquiry was coming from the Department of State.
Díaz-Canel defended the single-party political system as if it were a full democracy: "In Cuba, those in leadership positions are not chosen by the U.S. government nor do they have a mandate from that government. We have a free and sovereign state. We enjoy self-determination and independence."
What was omitted is the reality that millions of Cubans are facing: since February 18, the island has been experiencing recurring blackouts lasting up to 22 hours, with a deficit that reached almost 1,800 megawatts.
The National Electric System completely collapsed on March 16 for 29 hours and 29 minutes, and collapsed again on March 22, affecting more than 90% of Havana.
Between April 5 and 8, power outages again approached 22 hours, with the Guiteras thermoelectric plant out of service.
The only energy relief arrived on March 31, when the Russian tanker Anatoly Kolodkin docked in Matanzas with 730,000 barrels of crude oil, the first significant supply in over three months. That shipment barely covers nine or ten days of demand.
Meanwhile, the Cuban economy has experienced a contraction of 23% since 2019, according to independent economists.
The Economist Intelligence Unit projects an additional decline of 7.2% for 2026.
The Cuban GDP per capita was only $1,082 in 2025, compared to a regional average of $10,212. Cuba and Haiti are the only countries in Latin America experiencing economic contraction in 2025, according to the ECLAC.
Díaz-Canel attributes the disaster to the more than fifty-year U.S. embargo. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied this on March 27: "There is no naval blockade around Cuba," he said, adding that Cuba does not have fuel "because it wants it for free and people do not give away oil."
The interview with NBC News is part of a media campaign by the regime to counter international pressure, at a time when the Trump administration has labeled Cuba a "failed state" and Trump has suggested that a "peaceful or non-peaceful takeover" could occur.
The Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Josefina Vidal, confirmed this week that the talks with Washington to de-escalate tensions are in a "very preliminary" phase.
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