Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds (R-FL) directly called for regime change in Cuba while speaking to a reporter in a post shared on social media this week.
"I've long wanted regime change. We have a brutal dictator - murderous, communist regime in Cuba," Donalds said. "They've destroyed the liberty of the Cuban people for almost, definitely, two generations. We're now going on the third. They needed to go long ago."
Rep. Donalds also stated that President Donald Trump should be directly involved in a change in Cuba.
"First of all, knowing Donald Trump, he's involved in every policy. Just because one source said something doesn't make it so," Donalds said.
Cuba, a mere 90 miles from the U.S. mainland, has been under communist control since the overthrow of former President Fulgencio Batista in 1959. The country quickly turned to a socialist/communist state with the rise of Fidel Castro, who ruled Cuba for nearly 50 years until 2008, when he handed power off to his brother, Raúl Castro.
However, Fidel Castro remained First Secretary of the Communist Party, a position with as much authority as the president, until 2011. Raúl Castro was President of Cuba until 2018, and First Secretary until 2021.
All in all, Cuba was under the "Castro regime" for over 60 years, and not much has changed since, other than the titleholder.
Miguel Díaz-Canel, who Raúl Castro handpicked as his successor, has been President of Cuba since 2019 and First Secretary since 2021.
The effect of communist rule has resulted in millions of Cubans leaving the island since the Cuban revolution, largely to the United States, and specifically to Florida. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 2/3 of Cubans (over 1.5 million) live in Florida, with no other state coming close.
Rep. Donalds' call comes after the removal of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro by the Trump administration in January. Could his capture bring change inside Cuba, with or without the U.S.'s involvement?
Time will tell.
