USA Demands Resignation of Cuba's President
During negotiations, the American side made it clear to Cuba that the country's president must step down, but Americans leave further steps to the discretion of the Cubans.
Miguel Díaz-Canel. Photo: Emilio Flores/Anadolu via Getty Images
Donald Trump's administration is seeking the removal of Cuba's president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, reported The New York Times, citing four sources.
During negotiations, the American side made it clear to Cuba that the country's president must step down, but Americans leave further steps to the discretion of the Cubans. According to officials from the Trump administration, ousting Díaz-Canel would allow for structural economic reforms in Cuba, which the current president is unlikely to support.
One of NYT's interlocutors said that Washington also wants Cuba to agree to remove some elderly officials who are still loyal to Fidel Castro's ideas.
According to the newspaper's source, the ousting of Cuba's president would be a "symbolic victory" for Donald Trump, allowing him to declare that he overthrew the leader of a left-wing government that has long opposed the United States — as was done in Venezuela.
65-year-old Miguel Díaz-Canel has governed Cuba as president since October 2019, and is also the chairman of the Communist Party of Cuba. He succeeded Raúl Castro in this post in 2021. Raúl Castro led the Communist Party from 2011 to 2021. Before that, Fidel Castro governed Cuba.