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Marco Rubio celebrates his 55th birthday this Thursday at a time when his name embodies the hopes of thousands of Cubans who see him as the most influential figure for achieving real change on the island, supported by an unprecedented policy of pressure against the regime in Havana.
The Secretary of State, the son of Cuban immigrants who arrived in the U.S. in 1956, celebrated his birthday early this past Sunday at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, during an event for the 250th anniversary of American Independence, where the Village People —a favorite of President Donald Trump— sang "Happy Birthday" in front of a four-tier cake.
Trump connected by phone to the event from Washington and did not hold back on compliments: "He will go down in history as the best Secretary of State of the United States," he stated.
But the true significance of Rubio's birthday is measured in Havana, not in New Delhi.
Just on Wednesday, during a cabinet meeting at the White House chaired by Trump, Rubio once again criticized the Cuban regime with a forcefulness that resonates among the diaspora: "Cuba is in big trouble because, unfortunately for them, it is run by a bunch of incompetent communists. And being a communist is bad; being an incompetent communist is like the worst."
The secretary pointed directly at GAESA, the military-business conglomerate of the regime, as the main obstacle to the welfare of the people: "The country has been taken over by this company called GAESA, which basically controls 70% of the economy. None of the money from that company is going to help the Cuban people. None."
Despite the devastating diagnosis, Rubio left the door open for dialogue: "We will talk to them, we will work on it; we want something good for the Cuban people and, hopefully, there will be a good outcome for them. There has to be."
That phrase — "it must exist" — is what many Cubans repeat as a mantra of hope.
Figures such as Emilio Estefan, Senator Rick Scott, and Los Pichy Boys have publicly expressed their confidence in Rubio as a lever for the freedom of Cuba, and a Cuban interviewed by ABC7 summed up the feelings of many: “Cuba is waiting for Trump and for Marco Rubio as well because we can’t wait any longer.”
This expectation is based on concrete facts: since January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed more than 240 sanctions against the Cuban regime, including direct measures against GAESA and its president, Brigadier General Ania Guillermina Lastres Morera.
The U.S. has also intercepted at least seven tankers carrying fuel intended for the island, leading to an 80-90% drop in energy imports and outages of up to 25 hours a day in more than 55% of the territory.
Rubio's family background—his parents emigrated from Cuba before Fidel Castro came to power—grants him a special symbolic legitimacy among the diaspora and opposition sectors, who see him as someone who closely understands the reality of the island.
The deadline set by Washington for foreign companies to sever ties with GAESA is on June 5, making the days immediately following Rubio's birthday a crucial moment to gauge the true extent of U.S. pressure on Havana.
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