Former President Trump has suggested a regime change take place in Cuba should he be reelected to office in November.
The presumptive Republican nominee, 77, spoke on Truth Social Friday about the deepening crisis inside the communist nation as it endured one of its worst economic and energy crises with food shortages and blackouts pushing the country toward the verge of collapse.
"I want to express my admiration and support for all of the brave people of Cuba, who are standing up against the vile communist regime," Trump said in the video post. "It’s not easy, and we appreciate it, and it’s gonna be changed."
"Under Cuba’s brutal and corrupt dictators, the Cuban people are suffering terrible food shortages, energy blackouts, poverty, political repression and religious persecution," he added.
"I want the people of Cuba to know that we are watching what is happening in Santiago very closely, we are watching it every single minute of the day," Trump said. "We are with you."
The communist regime has come under intense pressure as the economic situation deteriorates there. Miguel Díaz-Canel, 63, became president in 2019, taking over from Raúl Castro, 92, who still effectively leads the 65-year-old dictatorship.
Protests have erupted in Cuba over energy and food shortages, with calls growing for the military to side with the people and for the Communist regime to come to an end. The U.S. Embassy urged the Cuban government to respect the protests in a post on its Facebook page.
The regime has sought assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP), asking for powdered milk and other items.
"Under my administration, we will return to being very strong on the oppressors. Unlike Crooked Joe Biden, who has been very weak on the communists, I stand with the Cuban people," Trump went on to say.
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"He does not stand with them, he doesn’t care about them, he couldn’t care less. I echo your call for the release of political prisoners in Cuba and for the free and fair election that we have to have."
"You have to have free and fair elections," he said. "Our country has some problems with that also, by the way."
"Most of all, I share your vision for a Cuba that is safe, prosperous and free. God bless the Cuban people and God bless America."
Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Fernández de Cossío, suggested in a Monday interview with The Associated Press that the food shortages were due to the U.S.'s long-standing embargoes.
He also accused the U.S. of "open interference [in] Cuba’s domestic affairs" after the State Department called on Havana to respect the protesters and "attend to the legitimate needs of the Cuban people."
"It was also cynical, as we said publicly, and hypocritical because it was referring to issues that are occurring in Cuba in which there’s an import and responsibility from the U.S. government," de Cossío said, calling the comments "disrespectful."
The U.S. has had trade and other financial embargoes on Cuba largely since the early 1960s, though certain exceptions permit the export of food products to the island nation so long as they are used in the private sector and not by the government.
The State Department in January reissued an increased caution warning for travelers to Cuba due to crime and violent crime including armed robbery and homicide.
Fox News’ Caitlin McFall and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
