‘I pray to God for Trump’: Cubans say POTUS is their ‘only hope for freedom’ amid economic crisis
HAVANA, CUBA: Some Cuban residents and dissidents are asking the United States to step in and help remove the island's communist government as the country goes through a worsening economic and humanitarian crisis.
Activists and residents say there are severe shortages of food, electricity, and medical care in some parts of the country. According to the New York Post, some Cubans say they hope the US will step in to help bring about political change as conditions worsen.
Cubans report worsening food, fuel and medical shortages
Activists inside Cuba say daily life has become increasingly difficult as economic problems deepen.
According to dissident groups, shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies have become widespread, leaving many families struggling to meet basic needs.
Pedro Quiala Carmenate told the Post he’s not religious, but he’s praying for President Donald Trump to liberate Cuba.
“There’s no food, there’s no electricity and there’s no medical care,” he told The Post from his neighborhood, Old Havana, where he was speaking on his cell phone during one of the frequent blackouts on the island.
In addition to power outages, an increase in crime, no trash collection, and climbing inflation, the 34-year-old pro-democracy activist can barely find enough food to feed his children.
"I am not a religious person, but I pray to God for Donald Trump. He is our only hope for freedom.” “The majority of Cubans want the Americans to intervene because they are living through the worst period of the 67-year dictatorship.”
Blackouts and repression deepen Cuba crisis
Since Fidel Castro took over Cuba in 1959 in the name of Communism, blackouts and shortages have been common. But things have gotten worse in the last few years, and more than 800,000 people have left in each of the last four years.
The Guardian says that this is about 25% of the population, which means that there are now fewer than eight million people on the island.
Ferrer started the Patriotic Union of Cuba, one of the most active groups opposing the government. He chose to leave Cuba after being released from prison for the last time.
Since last October, he has been living in Miami with his family in exile.
He said that torture and violence against people who oppose the government have worsened, and he said that there are more than 1,000 political prisoners right now.
Ranses Mones Quintero, 32, is part of the 30th of November Revolutionary Movement and is also calling for the overthrow of the Cuban government.
“It’s hard for a father to see his child go hungry, but this is our situation,” he said. “We need Trump’s help.”
In Havana, residents took to the streets on Saturday during a blackout, banging pots and shouting “Down with Communism!” and “Freedom!” according to Marti Noticias, a US government-funded news agency.
“If the United States works for the liberty of the Cuban people, the liberty of political prisoners, and comes up with a solution for the government of Cuba, they will ensure the security of the whole region,” Ferrer claimed.
