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The Republican congresswoman María Elvira Salazar directly responded this Tuesday to President Donald Trump following a surprising message in which he stated that no Republican had ever talked to him about Cuba, urging him to take definitive action to free the island after 67 years of dictatorship.
Trump published today on Truth Social, just before departing for China on a state visit: «No Republican has ever spoken to me about Cuba, which is a failed country and is going in only one direction: down! Cuba is asking for help, and we are going to talk!», said the president in his post.
The statement generated an immediate reaction among Cuban-American lawmakers in South Florida, who have been actively coordinating with the administration for months and pressing for stronger measures against the regime.
Salazar responded on X without contradicting the president, but rather reframing his message as an urgent call to action: "Republicans know that you are the only person who can free Cuba after 67 years of oppression." He added: "We, the Republicans from South Florida, are supporting you and waiting for you to take the necessary steps. There is nothing more to say or discuss."
"The Cubans on the island are waiting. The Cubans in Miami are waiting. We are waiting for the order to be given. And it will happen. With Marco Rubio leading the way," the congresswoman added, explicitly mentioning the Secretary of State as the designated executor.
The tone of the message—urgent, almost martial—reflects the accumulated tension of the Cuban-American community in light of the lack of decisive action, despite months of statements, announcements, and unprecedented sanctions.
Since January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed more than 240 new sanctions against Cuba and intercepted at least seven tankers bound for the island, reducing Cuba's energy imports by between 80% and 90%.
On May 7th, Rubio announced new sanctions against GAESA, the military conglomerate that controls the Cuban economy, including 12 officials, seven military entities, and three vessels, describing the structure as one that "seizes everything that generates money in Cuba and illegally deposits it into the pockets of a few close to the regime."
The result of the maximum pressure on Havana has been devastating: blackouts affecting more than 55% of the territory with power cuts lasting up to 25 hours a day and a projected economic contraction of 7.2% for 2026.
However, negotiations have stalled. A U.S. delegation traveled to Havana on April 10, marking the first official American flight on Cuban soil since 2016, but the talks failed due to the regime's rejection of Washington's demands.
The Cuban ambassador to the UN summed it up unequivocally on May 4th in Fox News: “Surrender is not in our dictionary”.
Trump's trip to China —scheduled for May 13 to 15— adds a geopolitical dimension to the presidential message: Beijing requested Washington on May 5 to lift the sanctions against Cuba, just ahead of the visit, turning the island into a point of friction in the bilateral agenda between the two powers.
Rubio, for his part, has been unequivocal: "Sanctions will continue until the regime adopts all necessary political and economic reforms."
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