The Cuban comedian Javier Berridy published on Facebook a video that has gone viral: a parody in which he plays a desperate Raúl Castro receiving a call from Donald Trump, pleading to be allowed "a couple more years in power."
In the sketch, the fictional Raúl Castro gets frightened when Trump introduces himself and asks him not to take him away: "Me hold on! 60 years is nothing!"
Trump, for his part, says he will stop him and demands that he "take away all the bad."
The clip, which has garnered over 62,000 views, comes at a time when Raúl Castro's name is making headlines for much more serious reasons than comedy.
On Friday, the agency AP revealed that the United States Department of Justice is preparing a formal criminal charge against Raúl Castro for the downing of two planes from Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996, resulting in the deaths of four Cuban Americans.
According to reports, the accusation could be presented on May 20, a key date in the history of Cuba: the proclamation of the Republic.
Trump avoided confirming or denying the news when asked aboard Air Force One, stating that he would let the Department of Justice make a statement.
The dictator is 94 years old, has never set foot on U.S. soil, and there is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the United States, which leads many to fear a possible surgical military operation to take Raúl out of Cuba, similar to what happened in Venezuela with Maduro.
The image in the video—a senior figure clinging to power, pleading not to be removed—is not far from reality. Although he stepped down from the presidency in 2018 and the leadership of the Communist Party in 2021, Raúl Castro is still seen as the true center of power in Havana. The military-business conglomerate GAESA, under his influence, controls approximately 60% of the Cuban economy.
This video by Berridy is not the first of its kind.
In January, the comedian starred in a viral sketch that was nearly identical where a pleading Raúl Castro called Trump to ask him not to attack Cuba and to take Díaz-Canel away. Also in January, the musical parody "Donald Trump, take Canel" in the style of "We Are the World" surpassed 56,000 likes on Facebook.
The political humor of the Cuban diaspora has found in Trump—and in the pressure he exerts on the regime—a boundless source of satire, using laughter as a means of denunciation and collective catharsis against decades of dictatorship.
Meanwhile, Cuba is experiencing its worst crisis in decades: blackouts with deficits exceeding 1,000 MW daily, widespread food shortages, and a projected GDP decline of 1.9% in 2024, according to CEPAL.
Analyst Camilo Loret de Mola puts it bluntly: "Everything goes through Raúl Castro's hands."
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