The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, accused the Cuban military and the Communist Party of Cuba of controlling the sectors capable of generating income on the island to benefit a small group of people and stated that the Donald Trump administration aims to prevent that situation from continuing.
Rubio made the statements on Monday night during an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, after the host asked him if Cuba was "about to fall."
When specifically discussing the economy, the head of U.S. diplomacy stated: "Everything that had the potential to generate money in Cuba was controlled by the Cuban military and the Communist Party to line the pockets of a handful of individuals at the expense of the entire country."
He then issued a direct warning about what, he said, will change while Trump remains in the White House. "What you will no longer be able to do, while Donald Trump is president, is steal money and profit at the expense of the Cuban people," he stated.
The Secretary of State framed those accusations within a much broader assessment of the Cuban situation.
The truth is that Cuba has already fallen, he stated, before pointing out that the island lacks, in his opinion, "a functional economy" and characterizing it as "a failed state in every sense of the word".
He stated that the Cuban government maintains the capacity to exercise political control, but he argued that this does not make the country a functional state.
He also attributed the situation to what he described as corruption, embezzlement, and theft, in addition to the failure of the Cuban economic model.
During the same interview, the secretary noted that Washington expects Cuba to "choose a different path" and reiterated that Trump's preference is to address the situation through diplomatic channels and to reach an agreement that guides Cuba towards irreversible positive changes. He also linked any potential transformation to both economic and political openness. "You cannot have economic freedom in Cuba if you do not first have political freedom. Both must be present, at least simultaneously," he stated, adding that this process would require "a period of transition".
The statements are part of a series of messages directed at the island's authorities in recent days.
During that same interview, Rubio warned those who think they can wait for the Trump administration to end without making changes: "They are mistaken and will learn the lesson the hard way if they do not change."
Days earlier, the Secretary of State had stated that the Cuban authorities have "an opportunity to change course" and reiterated that any sustainable process must include political and economic freedoms.
Rubio also claimed that "no one is going to invest in Cuba under its current model of government", while questioning the guarantees offered to potential investors.
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