Miguel Díaz-Canel took to his social media to describe the new sanctions from Washington against Cuba as "a genocidal design plan." However, the response he received in the comments of his own Facebook post was a flood of criticism, mockery, and calls for resignation from Cubans fed up with the crisis.
The president wrote: "Another week, a new list of 'sanctions' against Cuba. It is the war of the U.S. and its eagerness to strangle our economy. They are reinforcing the aggression in search of greater harm to the people. We are facing a genocidal design plan denounced at the UN less than a week ago."
The phrase that resonated the most among the comments was direct and blunt: "When you leave, everything will improve for the people."
Dozens of users sarcastically repeated the same question upon the mention of "our economy": "Which economy?" wrote another, referring to the collapse the island is experiencing after years of the regime's management.
Another comment pointed out the disconnect between the ruling elite and the population: "Of course, because it doesn’t harm you. You have electricity, food, medicine, and everything; you go on trips and spend the people's money."
Several users pointed out that the responsibility for the crisis does not lie with the U.S. embargo but with the government itself: "We have been strangled for years; the blame is yours for not knowing how to lead and for ending this country," wrote one of them.
Another comment recalled Díaz-Canel's words during July 11, 2021: "But five years ago it seemed like a good idea to declare war on your own people then... the order for combat has been given... it has been given... it has been given."
The expression "tic tac" was repeated in multiple comments as a sign that Cubans perceive the time of the leader in power as something running out.
A user summarized the widespread perception of the official discourse: "He made it very clear: 'our economy' refers to their private accounts; for years, the economy of the people has ceased to be an important issue for them."
Another was even more direct: "Until you leave, the sanctions will not end; you are the ones who are blocked for being thieves, for being disastrous, for starving an entire nation, for clinging to power."
The post also received mockery regarding the plan of 176 economic measures presented by the regime in response to the crisis, which Cubans ironically refer to as "the lemonade," without generating any popular credibility.
The new sanctions from the Department of the Treasury included the Ministry of Tourism, the Rapid Response Brigades, the Territorial Troops Militias, and seven state-owned companies, totaling 10 entities under Executive Order 14404 signed by Trump on May 1, 2026.
This is the sixth round of measures by the Trump administration against Cuba in less than three months, in a context where CEPAL projects a contraction of the Cuban GDP of 6.5% in 2026, the worst in Latin America, with a cumulative decline of over 26% since 2020.
The U.S. representative to the UN, Jeffrey Bartos, recently responded to the regime's accusations with a phrase that many Cubans have adopted as their own: "There is no U.S. blockade; the only embargo is the guillotine that the regime hangs over its people."
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