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Lis Cuesta Peraza, wife of Cuban leader 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 his profile on X on Thursday night, Cuesta described the measure as "almost an honor" and even claimed that the U.S. government had an error in its biographical data.
"About the sanctions: it is almost an honor to be on that 'list'. They never tire of the ridicule and political stupidity. 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 jurisdiction from engaging in transactions with those designated.
This is the first time Washington has imposed direct personal sanctions on 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 the inclusion of both in the sanctions list as "vile" and "illegitimate," while Díaz-Canel also responded publicly with revolutionary rhetoric.
The sanctions announced on Thursday are part of the Trump Administration's pressure strategy, which on May 1 signed Executive Order 14404, opening the door to secondary sanctions against third parties conducting business with GAESA, the Cuban military business conglomerate, with a deadline set for this Friday.
The State Department also issued sanctions against the Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR).
Cuesta's post triggered a wave of critical comments from Cubans in exile and opponents, who condemned 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 along with your husband in keeping a community in absolute poverty, hungry and without freedom," wrote a user.
Another comment noted: "You're no different from the fate that Cilia Flores faced, the same story repeats," referring to the wife of Nicolás Maduro, who has also been sanctioned by the United States, a comparison that was echoed in multiple responses.
Although Cuesta has publicly rejected the title of "first lady" as being "bourgeois" and "patriarchal," she has had a visible presence at official events, international trips, and state cultural events since Díaz-Canel assumed the presidency in 2018.
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