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The U.S. President Donald Trump published a presidential message on the 124th anniversary of Cuban Independence Day on Wednesday, in which he labeled the Havana regime as a "rogue state" and issued one of his strongest warnings to date against the communist government of the island.
"United States will not tolerate a rogue state hosting military, intelligence, and terrorist operations hostile to its territory just ninety miles away, and we will not rest until the people of Cuba regain the freedom that their ancestors fought so valiantly to establish more than a hundred years ago," Trump wrote in a statement released from the White House.
The leader accused the regime of being "a direct betrayal of the nation for which its founders fought and died," pointing out that for nearly seven decades the communist government has dismantled political freedom, denied fair elections, silenced dissent, and "strangled the Cuban economy to the point of collapse."
Trump described the ruling elite as "kleptocratic" and accused its military leaders of focusing solely on maintaining control and violently exporting "communism and despotism abroad," with no interest in the prosperity of the Cuban people.
The message also explicitly referenced the capture and extradition of Nicolás Maduro in January 2026, described by Trump as "one of the boldest and most impressive special operations of recent generations."
"The accusation and removal of Maduro sends 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 warned.
The message is part of a sustained escalation of pressure on Havana. On May 18, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on nine high-ranking Cuban officials and three entities, including the Directorate of Intelligence (DGI/G2).
On May 1, Trump signed a new executive order against the dictatorship that expanded sanctions against individuals linked to the security apparatus and human rights violations.
On May 7, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against GAESA —which he described as "the heart of Cuba's kleptocratic communist system"— and its CEO, Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera, with estimated assets ranging from $18 billion to $20 billion abroad.
This Wednesday, Rubio released a message in Spanish to the Cuban people offering "a new relationship" directly with Cubans—not with GAESA—and promising 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid.
The regime's reaction was immediate. Miguel Díaz-Canel described May 20 as a symbol of "intervention and interference," while Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez lashed out at Rubio, accusing him of using the date to blame the regime.
On Tuesday, Díaz-Canel responded to the sanctions against 11 officials by stating that Washington "doesn't even have proof" and describing the measures as a "total economic war," "immoral, illegal, and criminal."
All of this occurs after Trump declared a national emergency regarding Cuba on January 29, describing the regime as an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and accusing Havana of hosting the largest foreign signals intelligence facility for Russia.
Trump's message concludes with a promise of solidarity with the Cuban people and the millions of Cuban Americans, looking "with confidence towards a new Golden Age for the island and its people."
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