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What was intended to be a demonstration of military strength unexpectedly became a source of humor for hundreds of Cuban women on social media.
Images of the U.S. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, touring the Guantanamo Naval Base dressed in a sports t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers sparked a flurry of humorous comments on Facebook, where many users set aside political rhetoric to focus on the official's physical appearance.
The photographs were shared by various social media pages and have quickly amassed thousands of reactions and comments, many of which are filled with irony and double meanings.
"I've already signed up as a volunteer," wrote a user.
"I volunteer to be on the front lines, face to face with the enemy," another one commented.
A third person summarized the overall tone of the conversation: "Definitely, with these specimens there will be no war; Cuba has already been ceded by the Cubans."
Hegseth visited the naval base last Wednesday wearing a green t-shirt, black shorts, and athletic shoes, while inspecting U.S. troops stationed at the military installation located on Cuban territory.
The images also showed the visible tattoos of the official, including the motto "We the People," a detail that did not go unnoticed by many internet users.
The comments quickly began to mix humor, politics, and comparisons with figures from the Cuban regime.
"Cuco Mendieta is a breastfed child next to the secretary," wrote a user.
"After so many ugly men at the top, seeing this beauty is a blessing from God," added another.
Even Cuban women living abroad wanted to join the conversation.
"Women like us who are outside of Cuba, will we have the opportunity for face-to-face interaction?" asked a user from the diaspora.
Another commentator confessed with laughter: "I'm cracking up at the comments; I even forgot that they are going to cut off my electricity, and I haven't finished cooking."
Beyond the jokes, the reactions reflected a curious appropriation of the language commonly used by the official Cuban discourse regarding the "imperialist enemy," which this time was transformed into material for jokes and memes.
Hegseth's visit had a strong political undertone.
During his tour of the Guantanamo Naval Base, the official assured the troops that the United States is "regaining our hemisphere" and warned that it would be "reckless" for Cuba to attempt to develop military capabilities capable of threatening the installation or U.S. territory.
He also stated that Washington is prepared to respond to any scenario.
While social media was flooded with jokes, the response from the media and official spokespeople was very different.
Some figures linked to the regime's propaganda apparatus criticized the informal attire worn by Hegseth during the visit, while others tried to ridicule the event through memes and social media posts.
For his part, Cuba's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, rejected the statements of the U.S. official and asserted that the future of the island "is solely and exclusively in the hands of its people and government."
However, at least for a few hours, the political debate was overshadowed by something much more unexpected: hundreds of Cuban women playfully competing for a spot in the "front line of combat."
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