Cuban President Responds to Trump: Our People Will Defend Their Sovereignty and Independence
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on Saturday, May 3, 2026, that US President Donald Trump's threats of military aggression against Cuba have reached a "dangerous and unprecedented" level, calling on the international community to respond.
"The U.S. president is escalating his threats of military aggression against Cuba to a dangerous and unprecedented level," Canel said in a post on the "X" platform, adding that the international community must realize this, and decide, in cooperation with the American people, whether to allow such a dangerous criminal act to satisfy the interests of a small but wealthy and influential group, motivated by an unbridled desire for revenge and domination.
"No aggressor, no matter how strong, will find a surrender in Cuba," the Cuban leader said. It will face a people determined to defend its sovereignty and independence in every inch of its territory."
Trump talks about directing his troops from Iran to Cuba
"Cuba has problems, on the way back from Iran, we're going to have one of the biggest aircraft carriers, maybe the USS Abraham Lincoln — the largest in the world — and we're going to bring it, to dock about 100 yards from the shore, and they'll say, 'Thank you very much. We surrender to you."
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday rejected a bill introduced by Democrats that would have obliged President Donald Trump to end the embargo on Cuba unless it receives congressional approval.
The House voted 51 to 47 to drop the draft resolution on war powers, following Republicans' claims that the legislation was "procedurally undisciplined given that the United States is not engaged in direct hostilities with the Caribbean island at this time."
Democrats have repeatedly tried to pass legislation aimed at restricting Trump's ability to deploy military force in those conflicts, but none of them have succeeded, and Tuesday's vote, the first on Cuba, would have required Trump to get congressional approval before launching any attacks on the island.
Gradual U.S. economic and political escalation
On May 1, 2026, Trump signed an executive order expanding the scope of sanctions imposed on Cuba, accusing Havana of collaborating with Iran and providing sanctuaries for elements linked to Lebanese Hezbollah.
Simultaneously with the sanctions, the U.S. administration imposed a blockade on fuel supplies destined for the island. With Cuba almost entirely dependent on imports to meet its energy needs, this measure led to a suffocating crisis represented by widespread power cuts, reduced feeding hours, and disruption of the transportation and service sectors.
The crisis was not just economic pressure, but an attempt to create internal upheaval that would weaken Havana's ability to support Tehran or withstand sanctions.
The roots of this path go back to January 2026, when Trump declared a national emergency against Cuba, paving the way for the imposition of tariffs on any country that supplies oil to the island, including Mexico and Russia, and this announcement gave the administration broad powers to move outside the traditional diplomatic track, and to link the Cuban file directly to US national security.