Lis Cuesta Peraza, the wife of Cuban ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, responded defiantly to the sanctions imposed by the Trump Administration against her, her family, and other members of the regime's leadership.
In a post on her X profile on Thursday night, Cuesta described the measure as “almost an honor” and even asserted that the U.S. government had an error in its biographical data.
"Regarding the sanctions: it's almost an honor to be on that 'list.' They never tire of the ridiculousness and political folly. Ah, and a quick clarification: I was born in Sancti Spíritus. Long live Free Cuba!" he wrote.
The sanctions were announced on Thursday by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which individually designated Díaz-Canel, Lis Cuesta, Alejandro Castro Espín —son of Raúl Castro—, Manuel Anido Cuesta, and Raúl Alejandro Castro Calis, among others.
The measures freeze assets under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit individuals within that same jurisdiction from engaging in transactions with those designated.
It is the first time that Washington directly and personally sanctions Díaz-Canel as President of Cuba, marking a milestone in the Trump Administration's maximum pressure policy against the dictatorship.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez described their inclusion on the sanctions list as "despicable" and "illegitimate," while Díaz-Canel also publicly responded with revolutionary rhetoric.
The sanctions announced on Thursday are part of the pressure strategy of the Trump Administration, which signed Executive Order 14404 on May 1, opening the door to secondary sanctions against third parties doing business with GAESA, the Cuban military business conglomerate, with a deadline set for this Friday.
The State Department also imposed sanctions against the Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR).
Cuesta's post triggered a flood of critical comments from Cubans in exile and opponents, who rejected her defiant tone and accused her of living in privilege while the people suffer from hunger and misery.
"These are words that are far too big for you, Lis Cuesta, when you are complicit alongside your husband in keeping a town in absolute poverty, hungry and without freedom," wrote a user.
Another comment noted: "You are no different from the fate that Cilia Flores faced, the movie is repeating," referring to Nicolás Maduro's wife, who was also sanctioned by the United States, a comparison that was echoed in multiple responses.
Although Cuesta has publicly rejected the title of "First Lady" as she considers it "bourgeois" and "patriarchal," she has had a visible presence at official events, international trips, and state cultural activities since Díaz-Canel took office in 2018.
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