The first public appearance of Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "El Cangrejo" or "Raulito," the grandson of dictator Raúl Castro, sparked a wave of outrage and mockery among Cubans on social media.
On Friday, a day after the regime approved 176 economic measures before the National Assembly, El Cangrejo gave its first interview to an international media outlet to defend that package of reforms and call for dialogue with Washington.
The question that dominated the comments was not about the economic measures, but about the legitimacy of the person defending them: Raulito does not hold any official position in the Cuban government nor has he been elected through any democratic process.
He is a lieutenant colonel in the Ministry of the Interior and has been the head of the General Directorate of Personal Security for Raúl Castro since 2016, a role that thousands of Cubans simply identify as that of the grandfather's bodyguard.
"Being Raúl Castro's grandson does not give him the authority to speak on behalf of Cuba. To officially represent a country, one needs a position or official appointment," wrote a user, summarizing the prevailing sentiment.
Another widely shared comment pointed to the heart of the matter. "What bothers me the most is that it treats the situation as if it were a property dispute. Cuba is not a property; it is a country where people live, and they have been turned into slaves, hostages of a single family."
The nickname "The Crab" was the common thread in dozens of ironic reactions. "But crabs walk backwards," wrote one. "The people will walk at the pace of the crustacean, while they go full speed ahead," added another.
"After 67 years, Raúl Castro and his grandson identified the issues and outlined the strategies to follow for the coming decades. 'Nothing to fear,' quipped a third party."
The question "And does this one speak?" was repeated in dozens of variations, reflecting the surprise at the public appearance of someone who until now had operated in the shadows.
"I thought he was mute," wrote one user. "Finally, the crown prince spoke," noted another. "A bodyguard with power. It's a movie," summarized a third.
Several comments questioned the motivations of El Cangrejo and his family for advocating economic opening at this time. "It's obvious he's going to defend it, since it works 100% for him," wrote a user.
"Of course he agrees, it's like a pass to continue living at the expense of the people," added another. "I imagine he has to defend it because it's very likely that in the new economic model lies his source of income," pointed out a third.
Axios revealed in February 2026 that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was engaged in secret conversations with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro to explore transition scenarios, avoiding the Communist Party and Miguel Díaz-Canel.
In May, the CIA director, John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana and met with El Cangrejo, solidifying him as the primary informal channel between the regime's leadership and Washington.
In the interview with the international media The National, Raúl Guillermo was explicit about the limits of the reforms.
"We want to achieve an economic model that is more open, with greater involvement of both national and foreign private capital... and for that, we do not have and are not willing to transform the Cuban political system."
He also acknowledged that negotiations with the Trump administration have not progressed: "I would like to answer yes to that question, but the reality is that they have not."
The context in which this figure emerges is one of extreme pressure on the regime. Since January 2026, the Trump administration has imposed oil restrictions through Executive Order 14380, leading to blackouts of more than twenty hours a day.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned that children are dying in Cuba due to a lack of medication. And the U.S. Department of Justice formally charged Raúl Castro for the shooting down of two planes belonging to Brothers to the Rescue in 1996, resulting in four fatalities.
The U.S. characterized the 176 economic measures this Saturday as "superficial smoke signals," while Vice President JD Vance responded cautiously: "We'll see what they do. If they make smart decisions, we will have a much better relationship with that island."
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