Cuba Under Siege
7/10/202647 min
In January, after the capture of President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, the Trump administration turned its attention to Cuba. In the months since, the White House has used every tool at its disposal to unseat the Communist government.
In May, sparking fears of a humanitarian crisis, Cuba reported that it had officially run out of oil as a result of the U.S. oil blockade.
Today, Lynsea Garrison, a senior producer for “The Daily,” talks with one Cuban about how his life has transformed under President Trump’s pressure campaign, and what the future holds for Cuban people.
Guest: Lynsea Garrison, senior producer on “The Daily” for The New York Times.
Background reading:
- Cuba’s already-struggling schools are ending the academic year early because of the crippling fuel shortage caused by the U.S. oil blockade.
- The blockade has deepened a humanitarian crisis, forcing Cubans to lean on the island’s long tradition of community solidarity.
Photo: Lisette Poole González for The New York Times
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Natalie Kitroeff· Host0:23
From The New York Times, I'm Natalie Kitroeff. This is The Daily.
Speaker 3· Soundbite0:29
Is the Cuban government, uh, the Trump administration's next target, Mr. Secretary?
Natalie Kitroeff· Host0:32
For the past six months, the Trump administration has been carrying out a maximum pressure campaign against Cuba.
Speaker 3· Soundbite0:40
Well, the Cuban government is a huge problem. Yeah, the Cuban government is a huge problem, first of all- So is that a yes? ... for the people of Cuba. I think they're in a lot of trouble, yes.
Donald Trump· Soundbite0:47
Yeah, Cuba's gonna be next. Cuba's gonna be... Cuba's a mess. It's a failing country, and they're gonna be next.
Natalie Kitroeff· Host0:54
That campaign has included an oil embargo.
Speaker 50:58
The country selling oil to Cuba.
Natalie Kitroeff· Host1:00
An indictment against the country's former president.
Lynsea Garrison1:02
Charging Raul Castro.
Natalie Kitroeff· Host1:03
And economic sanctions.
Speaker 3· Soundbite1:05
What we're seeing now is a whole new level of punishment. Will you make a public commitment today to rule out US regime change in Cuba? Regime change? Yes. Oh, no, I think we would love to see the regime there change.
Natalie Kitroeff· Host1:18
And as Cuba's oil has dried up.
Speaker 51:24
An island-wide blackout following- The country's blackouts have gotten longer and longer.
Donald Trump· Soundbite1:28
Cuba is