Lindsey Graham warns of regime change for ‘commies running Cuba’ after Venezuela operation

WASHINGTON, DC: Senator Lindsey Graham, known as one of the most hawkish members of Congress, issued a stark warning to Cuba on Sunday, January 11 echoing threats recently made to Venezuela before the US military intervention there.

President Donald Trump also threatened Cuba in a social media post, demanding the Caribbean nation “make a deal” favorable to the United States before it was “too late.” Graham shared Trump’s post moments later, adding his own foreboding message to Cuba’s leadership.

Lindsey Graham joins Trump in warning Cuba

In a social media post on X, Graham directed his warning to “the commies running Cuba,” urging them to contact Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for advice, if possible. He added, “If I were you, I’d be looking for a new place to live.” 

Graham’s warning closely mirrors the one Trump issued to Maduro before US forces captured and extradited the Venezuelan leader to New York on d*ug-trafficking and weapons charges. Trump had previously urged Maduro to flee the country in late November, roughly one month before the US attack.

In mid-December, Trump also declared that Maduro’s “days are numbered,” foreshadowing the unprecedented US intervention that occurred about two weeks later. Graham similarly issued public threats against Venezuela’s leadership in the weeks preceding the attack.

In late December, he called for regime change in Venezuela, supporting efforts to “stand up to Maduro” and explicitly stating that he wanted “him to go.”

The US government has historically sought to topple Cuba’s government since the 1959 overthrow of US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista, whose regime allowed extensive exploitation of Cuban labor and resources by American companies.

Lindsey Graham and Republican support for regime change

Several Republican lawmakers have openly supported the idea of toppling the Cuban government. Representative Carlos Gimenez, who was born in Cuba to wealthy landowning parents, shared a social media image showing Cuba covered with the logos of American corporations such as McDonald’s, Exxon Mobil, and Walmart. 

His family fled Cuba after the 1959 revolution, which involved systematic seizure of land and properties held by elites, foreigners, and Batista supporters, though the Cuban government provided compensation through bonds for seized assets.

Graham has consistently positioned himself as one of Congress’s most hawkish voices on foreign policy. He has repeatedly advocated for US military intervention abroad, voicing support for action against countries including Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Mexico. 

Graham recently warned in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, “To the Ayatollahs: you need to understand, if you keep killing your people who are demanding a better life, Donald J Trump is going to kill you,” 

Iran has been rocked by widespread protests in recent weeks amid a deteriorating economy and the rapid depreciation of the rial, which has crossed 1,350,000 against the US dollar.

He further said “change is coming to Iran,” describing it as the biggest shift “in the history of the Mideast to get rid of this Nazi regime. To the people of Iran, help is on the way."