The Democratic senator for Arizona, Rubén Gallego, warned this Friday that the administration of US President Donald Trump "will try to change the Government of Cuba, one way or another," a strategy against which he has clearly positioned himself.
"I believe there will be an attempt to change the Government of Cuba, it could be through the Army or in another way. Cubans living outside the island have a lot of power in circles close to the president," he said at a meeting with journalists at the headquarters of the Real Instituto Elcano, taking advantage of his visit to Madrid.
In this context, he alluded to Washington's foreign policy and the role of Senator Marco Rubio, whom he accused of "having an obsession with this issue." Rubio stated last week that Havana constitutes a "threat to the national security" of the United States and branded the island as "one of the sponsors of terrorism in the entire region."
Gallego, commenting on these statements, in response to which Cuba accuses the United States of "instigating military aggression," defended that the Caribbean country "is not a threat to the United States." "It is a very poor island with 9 million people," he stressed, insisting that "the United States should not start any war."
"I believe that 99% of elected Democrats will be against this war and will seek to pass a law that stops an attempt to invade Cuba. I hope we are successful and can stop this, but I believe that this president and the Cubans who are in the United States will try to overthrow the Government," he indicated.
The senator specified that he himself presented this legislative initiative along with Democrat Tim Kaine, a former candidate for Vice President, so that Congress would have to authorize Trump for any military operation similar to those carried out on Iranian and Venezuelan soil. "Hopefully we will have the opportunity to pass this law," he added.
Operation in Venezuela and political consequences
In relation to the operation carried out in January in Venezuelan territory —which culminated in the capture and transfer to the United States of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores—, Gallego remarked that it was a "tactical success" but a political "failure" for having "used the Army to overthrow a foreign government."
"Maduro was profoundly corrupt, but that does not give us license to bring down the Government because we open the door for what we say (that he is a criminal or a delinquent) to be used by other countries, for example China, against others, like Taiwan," he reasoned.
"Strategically and militarily it was a success, but we have exchanged one dictator for another, so geopolitically speaking I think it has been a failure," he added.
Electoral Prospects in the United States
Asked about the possible results of the midterm elections scheduled for November, at a time when Trump's popularity is falling amid escalating tensions over the offensive against Iran, the senator expressed confidence in a Democratic victory.
"I think the Democrats are going to take the House of Representatives and, probably, the Senate as well. This is because war is a problem for voters, not only because the majority of Americans, around 60%, reject this war but also because it distracts the Government from the things that really matter to the citizens," he declared, avoiding commenting for now on a potential presidential candidacy in 2028. "We will focus on 2026 first," he stressed.
Among the issues that most concern voters, he cited the rising cost of living: "Everything costs a lot in the United States. The price of community, rent, vehicles, energy..." he listed, before reproaching that the president "has done nothing to solve this."
Regarding the weight of the Latino vote, he highlighted that "historically, it is a group of voters that is changing." "Before there was a solid Democratic base, but that has been changing over time, and many of them voted for Trump in 2024," he lamented.
"In Arizona we won because we got the support of the Latino community and the reason we achieved this support was because we talked about what concerned them, which is the economy and immigration," he detailed, admitting that, on numerous occasions, "Democrats have not known how to address the frustration" of this segment of the electorate.