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The Republican senator Lindsey Graham published a direct message to the Cuban people on his profile on X, urging them to remove the communists and join President Trump and the United States, in response to statements made by Miguel Díaz-Canel in an interview with the network NBC.
Graham's post was a response to the account of the program Meet the Press, which on Sunday shared Díaz-Canel's statement: "If we need to die, we will die" to prevent a supposed American invasion.
"I wonder how many Cubans he is really representing," Graham wrote before making his direct appeal: "To our Cuban friends: throw out the communists and join President Trump and the United States. That would be the best decision you could ever make."
The interview with Díaz-Canel by journalist Kristen Welker, recorded at the José Martí Memorial in Havana and aired on Sunday, was the first appearance of a Cuban leader on U.S. television since Fidel Castro granted a similar interview on the same program in 1959.
In the 53 minutes of conversation, Díaz-Canel rejected all the demands from Washington —release of political prisoners, multiparty elections, and free press— and stated that the respect for our political system and constitutional order is not up for negotiation.
When asked if he would resign to save Cuba, he responded with irritation: "Do they ask Trump that question?" and added that "resigning is not part of our vocabulary."
The interview triggered a chain of reactions among Republican lawmakers. Senator Rick Scott described it as "ridiculous" for NBC to provide a platform for Díaz-Canel, whom he referred to as a brutal and illegitimate communist dictator. Cuban-American Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar labeled him as "dictator chosen by the Castros."
Graham's message falls within a sustained rhetorical escalation throughout 2026.
At the beginning of March, he stated on Fox News: Cuba is next. They will fall. "This communist dictatorship in Cuba has its days numbered."
A few days later, he appeared on television wearing a cap with the phrase "Cuba libre" and declared: "Stay tuned! This is Ronald Reagan Plus".
This pattern of statements aligns with the strategy of the Trump administration, which on January 29 signed an executive order declaring the Cuban regime an "extraordinary threat" to national security and imposed over 240 new sanctions since January.
The context of maximum pressure intensified following the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3, which deprived Cuba of between 26,000 and 35,000 daily barrels of Venezuelan crude, worsening the already devastating energy crisis on the island.
In January, Graham had already warned the leaders of the regime in X: "Call Maduro and ask him what to do… If I were you, I would be looking for a new place to live."
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