Mike Hammer, Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, sent a video message this Wednesday to the Cuban people on the occasion of Independence Day, in which he acknowledged that the conditions of freedom and prosperity for which the Cuban patriots fought “are unfortunately not” present today on the island.
In the brief 48-second video recorded in Spanish and shared by journalist Mario J. Pentón, Hammer evoked José Martí and Antonio Maceo to remind that Cuban independence was born from the dream of a free people, with freedom of expression and economic opportunity.
"I wanted to wish the Cuban people a happy Independence Day this May 20, but also acknowledging that when the patriots fought for independence, José Martí, Maceo, they wanted to see a people living in freedom, with freedom of expression, who wanted to have economic opportunities, and unfortunately... those conditions are not present now," said the diplomat.
Hammer also conveyed Washington's support for ordinary citizens: "On behalf of the United States, I sincerely want to tell you that President Trump's government stands with the common Cuban. We want you to have and be able to achieve a better future. So we will continue working on that, and we have full confidence that it will happen."
The message is delivered within the framework of a coordinated diplomatic offensive by the Trump administration on this symbolic date, which marks the 124th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Cuba in 1902.
This Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio released his own video in Spanish addressed to the Cuban people, marking the first time he has done so in this position, in which he directly blamed GAESA —the business conglomerate founded by Raúl Castro that controls 70% of the Cuban economy— for the hardships faced by the island.
Rubio offered on behalf of Trump 100 million dollars in food and medicines, conditional on them being distributed by the Catholic Church or charitable organizations, not by the state apparatus, and proposed a "new relationship" between the United States and Cuba "directly with the Cuban people, not with GAESA."
Hammer arrived in his post in Havana on November 14, 2024, and since then he has taken on an unusually active diplomatic profile, touring various Cuban provinces and meeting with independent journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens. The regime responded with organized acts of repudiation in Trinidad and Camagüey, to which the diplomat firmly responded by stating "we will not be intimidated".
On May 15th, Hammer received the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, at the diplomatic mission in Havana, indicating the high level of attention Washington is paying to Cuba during this period.
The pressure from the Trump administration on the Cuban regime has intensified in recent weeks: on May 1, he signed Executive Order 14404 with new sanctions, and on May 7, he announced direct sanctions against GAESA, setting June 5 as the deadline for foreign companies with ties to the conglomerate to sever relations or face consequences.
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