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Cubadebate, the digital spokesperson for the Cuban regime, published a note on Facebook regarding the public debt of the United States and sparked a wave of criticism from Cuban internet users who, in less than 20 hours, left over a thousand comments demanding that the state-run media focus on the crisis on the Island.
The publication highlights that the U.S. debt has surpassed the size of its economy for the first time since World War II: $31.27 trillion as of March 31 compared to a GDP of $31.22 trillion, which amounts to 100.2% of the gross domestic product according to data from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB).
The response from the Cubans was immediate and emphatic. "What about yours?" asked one of the first commentators. "Doesn't Cuba's debt to the world exceed Cuba's GDP?" added another. "Show Cuba's to compare," insisted a third.
The outrage was not limited to pointing out the contradiction; it reflected the desperation of a population going through the worst economic crisis in decades. "What Cuban cares about the debt of the United States when many people here go to bed hungry?" wrote an internet user. "Worry about us, we are just surviving," demanded another.
Several critiques pointed out the fundamental difference between both situations. "The United States has debt, but it pays. Cuba doesn't pay, and that’s why no one extends credit to it," summarized one user.
"At least in the U.S. there is food and the power doesn't go out," another added, referring to the blackouts of up to 25 consecutive hours that the Island suffers, and to the survey that revealed one in three families goes hungry in Cuba.
The sarcasm also had its place. "Cubadebate should be called USAdebate," wrote an internet user. "It's laughable, worried about the economy of the world's leading power and Cuba in Titanic mode," another one ironized. "This is a mockery," stated a third.
Opinions demanded transparency regarding the Cuban debt, which according to independent estimates represents approximately 108.8% of GDP, with chronic defaults to the Paris Club since 2019.
"Let them also include Cuba's debt to Brazil, Russia, China, and the Paris Club," asked one user. "You talk about debts when Cuba owes half the world," pointed out another.
The regime also accumulates a debt of 1.5 billion dollars to Mexico and over 3 billion to Argentina, in addition to outstanding obligations with Spain, Brazil, Russia, and China. The restructuring agreement signed with the Paris Club in January 2025 covers only 16.2% of the estimated total debt.
The episode illustrates the recurring pattern of Cubadebate: publishing critical content about the United States while silencing the internal crisis. This is not the first time the state media blames the embargo for hunger in Cuba and provokes a similar reaction among internet users.
"And the moral debt of the Cuban leaders to the people, who speaks of it?" was one of the comments that best summarized the general sentiment.
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