The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, took the podium at the White House this Tuesday and launched one of his most direct criticisms against the Cuban regime, describing it as a government of "incompetent communists" that has turned the island into a "failed state."
Rubio replaced the press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is on maternity leave, and took the opportunity during the press conference to dismantle one of the regime's favorite arguments.
On the regime's inability to resolve the crisis, Rubio was blunt: "The only thing worse than a communist is an incompetent communist. And that's what we have: incompetent communists running that country. They don't know how to fix it. They really don't know."
Additionally, regarding the issue of oil, he said: "There is no oil blockade against Cuba as such," the Secretary of State stated, and he explained the actual mechanics of the island's energy problem.
According to Rubio, Cuba used to receive free oil from Venezuela, of which it sold approximately 60% for cash without that income benefiting the population.
"The only 'blockade' that has occurred is that the Venezuelans have decided that they will no longer give away free oil. And you can imagine that nowadays, with oil prices as they are, no one is giving away oil, much less to a failed regime," he stated.
This is not the first time the Secretary of State has used the phrase "incompetent communists."
On March 27, Rubio had already described the Cuban regime as the only one worse than communism for rejecting any agreement limited to economic reforms with Havana, and had warned that "the economy needs to change and cannot change unless its system of government changes."
Rubio also framed the Cuban situation as a national security issue for Washington: "We have, just 90 miles from our shores, a failed state that is also a favorable territory for some of our adversaries. So it is an unacceptable situation, and we will address it, but not today."
The statements come at a time of intense pressure from the Trump administration on Havana.
Last Friday, Trump signed a new executive order expanding sanctions against Cuba in the sectors of energy, defense, mining, and finance, including secondary sanctions on foreign banks that operate with sanctioned Cuban entities.
Since January 2025, the administration has accumulated over 240 sanctions against the regime and intercepted at least seven oil tankers, resulting in blackouts of up to 25 hours daily in more than 55% of Cuban territory.
On Sunday, Díaz-Canel warned representatives from 36 countries about an "imminent military aggression" from the United States and invoked the doctrine of the "War of All the People," stating that "every Cuban man and woman has a rifle."
This Tuesday, Trump reiterated that "it would be an honor to liberate Cuba" and once again mentioned the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier off the coast of the island.
Rubio, who has held the positions of Secretary of State and National Security Advisor since May 2025, concluded his message about Cuba with a brief yet unequivocal warning: “Things are going to change”.
Filed under: