The Cuban writer Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo sent a direct message to President Donald Trump regarding the possibility of him visiting Havana before his term ends: "Outdo Obama, really, Mr. Donald Trump."
The challenge arose in response to the statements of KT McFarland, former deputy national security advisor during Trump's first term, who claimed on Fox Business that "President Trump is going to go to Havana before his term ends," describing it as something inevitable and a sort of honor return to a Cuba ready for change. The White House has not officially confirmed any visit plans.
Pardo Lazo, interviewed by Tania Costa for CiberCuba, acknowledged that Obama's visit to the island in March 2016 was politically impactful, but emphasized that it did not bring about any real change. “Obama went to Cuba and his visit was spectacular in media, political, television, and popular terms. It was spectacular.” However, he added emphatically: “Obama left, and he left us with Castroism. Obama left, and he left us with what we have now: after COVID, after Díaz-Canel, after a worthless constitution, after a stampeding populace.”
The writer, who is currently focused on the presentation of his book "Olvidos y Obituarios," acknowledged that at the beginning of 2026 he was "very optimistic" about the Trump Administration, but at the time of the interview, he felt "a little less" hopeful.
Pardo Lazo was explicit in noting that Trump must act in accordance with the interests of his own country. "I tell President 45-47, Mr. Donald Trump: implement the policies you believe in with the timing you see fit, defending the interests of your country, which is not Cuba, that should be clear."
One of the writer's most direct warnings pointed to the legacy of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a central figure in Washington's politics towards Havana and whose political career has been marked by anti-Castro sentiment. “Be careful because time is passing and Marco Rubio's political legacy is at stake; will he leave us a broken Cuba but with political power intact and perfectly governable by that totalitarian power?”
In an ironic tone, Pardo Lazo warned that if the outcome of a potential presidential visit is the same as the result of Obama's visit—the survival of Castroism intact—he could call it "Donald Hussein Trump": "With much pleasure, with much affection, because he left us the same legacy as Barack Obama."
The writer warned about the risk that both presidents, one Republican and one Democrat, may end up converging on the same historical failure regarding Cuba: “Do not let them follow the same path where the distinguished Republican and the distinguished Democrat meet in infinity.”
Pardo Lazo concluded that if real democratic changes do not occur, it will be necessary to bet on another Republican presidency or even a Democratic administration that, although through different means, can help catalyze a genuine transformation on the island. "We will have to bet on another Republican presidency to try to help us Cubans catalyze democratic changes, or on a Democratic administration."
Pardo Lazo's central message is a demand for concrete results, not symbolic gestures: any approach by Trump towards Cuba must yield real changes, or it will be equated to the legacy he has criticized so much.
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