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The president Donald Trump issued a presidential message this Wednesday on the occasion of the 124th anniversary of Cuba's Independence Day, in which he promised that the United States “will not rest until the people of Cuba regain the freedom that their ancestors so bravely fought to establish more than 100 years ago.”
In the message published from the White House, Trump described the regime in Havana as “a direct betrayal of the nation for which its founding patriots bled and died” and characterized its elites as a kleptocracy that hoards the island’s resources while the people suffer.
Trump stated that his commitment is "unwavering": "America will not tolerate a pariah state that harbors military, intelligence, and terrorist operations just ninety miles from U.S. territory".
The president recalled that in January 2026, the U.S. Armed Forces carried out "one of the most daring and impressive special operations in generations": the capture and extradition of "Venezuelan narcoterrorist Nicolás Maduro".
Trump emphasized that this operation sent "a clear message to his socialist allies in Havana: this is our hemisphere, and those who destabilize it and threaten the United States will face consequences."
The president noted that, following Maduro's capture, he imposed "powerful new sanctions" against the Cuban military and intelligence apparatus, as well as against those who provide them with material and financial support, depriving the regime of resources and its elites of the opportunity to profit from the suffering of the people.
In parallel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a video in Spanish directed specifically at the Cuban people this Wednesday, the first time he has done so since taking office, in which he offered 100 million dollars in food and medicine to be distributed through the Catholic Church or other trusted charitable organizations, explicitly excluding the military-business conglomerate GAESA.
Rubio blamed GAESA for the crisis of electricity, fuel, and food that the island is facing, stating that those who control the country "have looted billions of dollars," and clarified that Trump's proposal is "directly with the Cuban people and not with GAESA."
The offer is part of a sustained escalation of pressure that includes over 240 new sanctions against Cuba since January 2026, the re-inclusion of the island on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, and specific sanctions against GAESA and its CEO, Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, with a deadline of June 5, 2026 for foreign companies to sever ties with the conglomerate.
Trump's message comes a day after he declared at the White House that he could “fix” Cuba “whether or not the regime changes”, and described the situation on the island bluntly: “They can’t turn on the lights, they can’t eat.”
Trump closed his message with a promise for the future: "We look confidently towards a new Golden Age for the island and its people".
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