Does the 2024 Election Offer Any Cause for Hope in Cuba?

TRANSCRIPT

Journalist Liz Oliva took to the streets of Havana as the U.S. presidential election approaches, and we decided to ask Cubans what they think of the two main candidates.

Liz: “What do you know about U.S. elections?”

“It’s the same show they always put together. They spend a lot of money and make promises

they don’t keep in the end”, says a Cuban retiree.

“Kamala Harris is a tough woman”, says a young student.

“Kamala Harris is destroying Trump. I think things are going to play out differently now because Trump was ahead against Biden”, says a salesman.

“Trump is still in the fight after his media show with him being shot”, says a young woman.

Another Cuban says: “We don’t get a vote in U.S. elections, so…”

Cubans can’t vote in U.S. elections. But who ends up becoming president can affect our daily

lives in Cuba more than it affects people in the United States. Obama’s opening with Cuba

made us dream of a better future. But that didn’t last long with the new sanctions imposed by Trump and Biden.

Liz: “Does the 2024 election offer any cause for hope in Cuba?”

“I’m not hopeful about either of them”, says a Cuban.

“I don’t think anything is going to change”, says another Cuban.

“Lifting the U.S. embargo against Cuba? Forget it. That will never happen”, says a senior citizen.

“I think their Cuba policy would be the same. It’s always the same”, says a father as he waits for his son to get out of school.

“I don’t think relations will improve with either of them. But there are better odds with Kamala than Trump”, says a young man.

“Joe Biden has not changed Trump’s Cuba policy. And Kamala is a part of his administration”, says a Cuban.

“One U.S. president will loosen a sanction, and then the next brings it back, or Congress gets

in the way. They’ve all been the same. Both parties are the same”, says the salesman.

“Life has taught me that neither of them will bring anything good for us”, adds a Cuban.

Liz: “Would you like U.S.-Cuba relations to be normalized?

“Of course. It’s the people who are affected by this. Right now there’s no tourism. I can barely get a fare”, says one cab driver.

“Cuba has always been willing to normalize relations with the U.S.”, says a Cuban retiree.

“It’s the U.S. who is confrontational. So they should take the first step”, adds the father who is waiting for his son.

“It would be good for U.S. businessmen and farmers, and for us, the Cuban people”, says a Cuban retiree again.

Liz: “If you could choose one of the two candidates, who would it be?”

“I think Kamala is the most progressive of the two”, says a young woman.

“I don't think she’s perfect. There's a lot of things that the Democratic Party needs to change”, says a U.S. student.

“If you look at the history of U.S.-Cuba relations, you’ll see that Democrats have generated the worst political situations”, says a Cuban artist.

“It's really scary to think about the fact that Trump could win again. I think that’d be

terrible for Cuba, terrible for the United States, terrible for everybody”, adds U.S. student.

“Trump has no interest in having a good relationship with Cuba”, says a Cuban.

“I don’t want Trump to get elected given what he’s done to us and what he’ll do. I don’t understand why Latinos vote for him. He’s saying he’s going to deport Latinos. I prefer Kamala. What choice do I have?”, says a salesman.

“One of them gets elected and we say he’s bad, but then the next one is worse.We can’t expect anything good from them”, adds another Cuban.

Liz: “What would you like the next administration do about Cuba policy?”

“Peace and tranquility. They need to let us live”, says a Cuban.

“I’d like them to not focus on Cuba”, adds a young student.

“We need them to end the blockade, and respect Cuba’s sovereignty,but also be able to trade with Cuba and make sure that the Cuban people have what they need”, says U.S. student.

“The U.S. needs to stop harassing us, stop tightening the screws, or else, what will happen to us?”, conclud a Cuban.