A white Panama hat with a black band, dark sunglasses, and a black shirt with white details: this is how Miguel Díaz-Canel appeared this Saturday during his official tour of Pinar del Río as part of the events leading up to the 73rd anniversary of the assaults on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks. Images of the president in this outfit quickly circulated on social media, sparking a wave of mockery and comparisons.
The visit included a tour of the tobacco estate of Isabel Cristina Barbosa Díaz in the La Ceniza area, the capital municipality of Pinar del Río, where the leader was accompanied by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz and Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba.
In front of the cameras, Díaz-Canel declared that the estate "is a place where work and prosperity can be felt." However, the reaction on social media was quite different.
Activist Lara Crofs was one of the first to respond with irony: "I maintain that whoever advises him deeply hates him, and suggesting those 30s gangster-style outfits is their way of expressing their disgust. He’s missing a good Cuban cigar."
The journalist José L. Tan Estrada published two memes: one titled "Separated at Birth," comparing the leader to one of the mobsters from the classic Cuban animated film Vampires in Havana, and another that described him as "a mix between Compay Segundo and The Godfather."
The comments were just as lively. Iliana Martin wrote: "He doesn't cooperate, man, he doesn't get out of one meme to jump into another." Manuel Antonio Ricardo noted that "he looks like the little character from Vampiros en La Habana," referring to the classic Cuban animated film from 1985.
Menfis Gandul was more specific: "I thought it was Quiroga from the adventures. The little fugitives. He was missing the two-tone shoes." Celaida Michelena, for her part, pointed directly at those surrounding the leader: "Definitely, his advisors are serving someone who wants to make him look ridiculous to the maximum. His outfit is the least of it; every time he opens his mouth, it's a disaster."
This episode adds to a pattern that frequently recurs in 2026. In June, Díaz-Canel had already been the subject of memes for appearing disheveled on television and for wearing a military uniform during a visit to a defense area. The July 16 generated new mockery when he showed up in Levi's jeans during an industrial visit.
Pinar del Río was designated as the venue for the central event of the July 26 by the Political Bureau of the PCC, marking the fourth time the province has hosted this celebration after 1976, 2000, and 2017. The choice had already generated outrage on social media due to the contrast between the official fanfare and the crisis facing the Cuban population.
Einstein Van Gogh David Almeida summarized the feelings of many with a phrase that goes beyond the costumes: "They are recreating all the animated characters from Cuba, which is why that crap doesn't work; they're all just puppets."
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