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The statements made by Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, the grandson of Raúl Castro and known as "El Cangrejo," sparked a wave of outrage among Cubans on Tuesday following the publication of his first interview with a U.S. media outlet, granted to on Monday.
The phrase that sparked a stir on social media was spoken while she wore Hermès sneakers, a Hugo Boss t-shirt, and a Rolex Submariner watch: "It pains me greatly that people cannot live like I do. My greatest sorrow is that people struggle. But I wake up every day to change that situation."
The response from the Cubans was immediate and strong.
"Let a month live like us," one wrote.
"That's not called pain; it's called disconnection," another replied.
"Let them go hungry for a month and then share their opinions," "Let them try to live on 2,000 pesos a month," and "Let them experience a blackout for 72 hours" were some of the comments that proliferated on social media.
The contrast between his words and his lifestyle became unbearable for thousands of people who survive on salaries ranging from 10 to 15 dollars a month and endure power outages of up to 23 hours a day.
The interview took place over two days in June in Havana, from the office that belonged to his grandfather at the Palace of Conventions, the seat of the Cuban parliament.
El Cangrejo completed his outfit with a gold chain and a medallion dedicated to Fidel and Raúl Castro, and kept his classified reports in a Salvatore Ferragamo leather briefcase.
On the same Monday that the interview was published, Cuba experienced its eighth total blackout in 24 months, with the electrical system generating only 935 megawatts against a demand of 3,100 MW, leaving 71% of the country without electricity.
In the same interview, El Cangrejo positioned himself as a potential interlocutor with Washington: "I can negotiate with anyone designated by the U.S. If given the opportunity, of course I would with Trump."
At the same time, he made it clear that he would not abandon the principles of Castroism and uttered a phrase with a tone of dynastic succession: "I have never been interested in politics. It has never been a calling of mine. But if at any moment the revolution needs me, I will do it."
This last statement was publicly questioned by the comedian Ulises Toirac, who asked on Facebook this Tuesday: "Which Revolution decides who should step forward and who should step back?", pointing out that this concept is nothing more than the camouflage of a dictatorship without democratic mandate.
El Cangrejo is a colonel in the Ministry of the Interior and head of the General Directorate of Personal Security for Raúl Castro since 2016.
He is the son of the late General Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, who led GAESA, the military conglomerate that controls a substantial part of the Cuban economy.
According to a journalistic investigation, he made at least 23 private jet trips to Panama between 2024 and the end of 2025.
Frank Mora, a professor at Florida International University, summarizes it this way in statements to USA Today: “He is the favorite grandson. Raúl Castro trusted his father, and he is the grandson he loved the most.”
For thousands of Cubans who endure endless lines, eat what they can find, and live in darkness, their words about the "pain" of seeing the people suffer did not evoke empathy but rather anger.
"The problem is that he has never lived like the people," wrote one commentator. "He should remove his escorts and go out alone," added another.
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