Cuba Tried to Fool Trump. It Didn't Work.

Cuba's communist regime is begging the U.S. for mercy. A sweeping set of economic reforms seek to open up the country's economy. But is this all a trick? Welcome to American Covered, I'm Chris Chappell. On Monday, Cuba's electrical grid suffered a total collapse. It wasn't just a few districts that went dark. It was the entire country. It was also the third island-wide blackout this year, a consequence of the ongoing U.S. oil blockade imposed on the already struggling communist dictatorship. In previous episodes, we covered some of the effects this has had on the Cuban people. Food left to rot in their storehouses, water pumps running dry, school closures, hospitals forced to delay surgeries, and a Cuban public edging closer and closer to open revolt. Cuba's regime is getting desperate. But they have a plan to get the Americans off their backs, and perhaps buy the dictatorship just a little more time. As you may have expected, this effort is being led by Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, or the Crab. By the way, I found out why he's called the Crab. It's because he was born with six fingers on one of his hands. I mean, that's not really important, I just figured you guys ought to know. But what is important is that he's Raúl Castro's grandson and personal bodyguard. He has also acted as the primary go-between for Cuba's regime and the U.S. State Department. On Monday, USA Today published his exclusive first U.S. interview. In that interview, he told USA Today that I can negotiate with anyone designated by the U.S. if given the opportunity. Claro que con Trump. Of course, with Trump. So Cuba wants to negotiate. And negotiate about what exactly? An end to the communist system? Well, not exactly. The Crab's interview comes only a month after Cuba's National Assembly passed sweeping free market reforms in what the press is calling the biggest economic shift since the revolution. These 176 reforms open up the country to private banks, more open foreign investment, allows businesses to hire more than 100 employees, which was previously illegal, and opens state-owned companies to private capital. But before you go popping that bottle of champagne, or rum in this case, let me bring it down to earth. This wouldn't be the first time one of the Castros tried pulling a fast one on the Americans. Fidel Castro actually appeared on Meet the Press in 1959, just months after seizing power. And he said this. Basically, Fidel was worried that the U.S. would intervene in Cuba over fears that the island would become a Soviet satellite. So he downplayed his communist sympathies in order to buy his regime enough time to consolidate power and prepare for whatever came next. It's almost certain that the Crab is trying to pull the same trick. And even the reforms aren't really reforms in any meaningful sense. The Cuban Communist Party isn't going anywhere. The Crab said as much himself, stressing that he would never sacrifice the principles of Cuba's 1959 revolution. So Cuba wants investment in order to keep the country on life support without ditching the Communist Party's centralized control. It's basically the China model. And fortunately, we know exactly how this plays out. The Chinese Communist Party, after decades of famine, violence, and chaos, knew the show couldn't go on for much longer. So in 1978, Deng Xiaoping began to open China's economy to foreign investment and private enterprise, and later set up special economic zones. Western capital came flooding in, and within a generation, China went from one of the poorest countries on Earth to the world's second largest economy. Western leaders thought, or at least told their constituents, that this meant China would open up its political system, too. But Tiananmen Square shattered that illusion. Economic growth didn't liberalize China. It funded the very system crushing those who dared to ask for freedom. Ultimately, China's newfound wealth went to Party elites in the military, who used it to build the most sophisticated surveillance state in human history. Cuba is trying to run the exact same play. Let in just enough foreign investment to keep the economy afloat, but always keep the threat of state violence in your back pocket, just in case the people get any funny ideas about rights or freedoms. But it's not just the secret police who remain untouched. It's the Party's economic control, too. Just look at Gaisa. It's the economic arm of Cuba's military, and was founded by Raul Castro. It basically operates as a cartel, used to pump money into Cuba's ruling elite. It controls everything from tourism to retail, finance, ports, remittances, and foreign trade. It's estimated the gross profits represent close to 37% of Cuba's GDP. An analysis of the reforms found that the structures overseeing Gaisa will remain fully intact. And for those state enterprises which are privatized, who do you think will actually be in a position to buy them up? The Cuban people who are completely destitute, or the wealthy Party elites who control Gaisa. So the reforms are less of an opening up, and more of a rebranding of the same old cronyism. In essence, the state is being put up for sale so that today's oligarchs can become tomorrow's owners, while Gaisa remains untouched. And this is all kind of a moot point anyway. America's problem with Cuba isn't just that it's communist. I mean, the US deals with communist countries all the time. Just look at Vietnam. Or North Korea. No, the problem is that Cuba has been a staging ground for America's adversaries, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida. During the Cold War, that adversary was the Soviet Union. And today, it's China. Cuba already integrated into China's cross-border interbank payment system in 2025. And Cuba is turning to China for help as it passes the landmark reforms. The groundwork for a Chinese takeover is already being laid. And a flood of Chinese investment into a Gaisa-controlled economy won't free the Cuban people. Instead, it'll just help entrench both the regime and Chinese interests. So what's been the response from Washington? Are they buying what the crab is selling? No. The State Department's response was blunt. They called the reforms ultimately superficial smoke signals from the Cuban regime. And noted that this is part of the dictatorship's handbook. Announce a cycle of supposed reforms to insinuate a desire for change, then quickly roll back any changes the moment the regime's total control is at all threatened. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cranked up the pressure by dropping a new round of sanctions on five Cuban entities, as well as a member of the Castro family itself. And in June, he sanctioned a Cuban government-linked friendship organization funded by Neville Roy Singham, saying it enables and funds Cuba's subversive and radical operations. Man, I really can't get away from this guy, can I? Do you think George Soros ever gets jealous? But anyway, the US position is clear. Rearranging a few chairs in Cuba's centers of power, while keeping the dictatorship in charge, isn't going to cut it. Back in May, Rubio sent a Spanish-language message directly to the Cuban people, telling them, President Trump is offering a new relationship between the US and Cuba, but it must be directly with you, the Cuban people, not with Gaisa. Cuba opened a tiny window and is calling it a massive change. Washington isn't buying it. And as long as the Communist Party runs the country's politics, Gaisa runs its economy, and Beijing has a foot in the door, neither should you. But what do you think? Leave a comment below. I read as many as I can. But I read every comment on AmericaUncovered.tv, where you'll get access to thousands of episodes ad-free, plus a community chat, live streams, and more. Once again, I'm Chris Chappell. Thank you for watching America Uncovered.