The Republican National Committee (RNC) has issued a warning, stating that the Democratic Socialists of America's (DSA) recent online tribute to Fidel Castro could lead to Democrats facing "political suicide" in the upcoming November elections. The RNC's criticism comes after the DSA praised the late Cuban dictator and called for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's prosecution over the Trump administration's Cuba pressure campaign.
"Democrats are openly embracing the same policies that left the people of Venezuela, Cuba, and China with empty shelves, no electricity, and their freedoms stripped away," Natalie Baldassarre, RNC national press secretary, told Fox News Digital. "Their embrace of this poisonous ideology is political suicide and it will be their downfall in November."
Florida congressional candidate Jorge Martinez, who is a Cuban immigrant, expressed shock at the rise of socialism within the Democratic Party. He criticized proposals such as city-subsidized grocery stores, warning that socialism ultimately leads to failure.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents are Cuban immigrants, had previously condemned Castro's legacy on X last Thursday, the centenary of Castro's death. He stated, "Fidel Castro was a complete failure at everything except destroying Cuba and impoverishing, jailing and murdering his own people."
The DSA statement described Castro, who led Cuba for nearly 50 years after the 1959 revolution, as a symbol of anti-imperialist resistance. "Fidel was an organizer, a fighter, and endures as a stalwart symbol of anti-imperialist struggle and self-determination for the Global South," the organization said.
Further escalating the controversy, the DSA asserted that U.S. restrictions had hindered critical resources from reaching Cuban civilians, labeling these actions as genocide under Rubio's leadership. "By intentionally imposing conditions calculated to kill a civilian population, Marco Rubio is leading a genocide," the group claimed. The DSA demanded an end to the U.S. blockade and threats of military action, normalization of relations, reparations for alleged damages, and Rubio's prosecution for crimes against humanity.
The White House rejected the DSA's characterization of Rubio's Cuba policy. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly stated that the administration was prepared to pursue a new relationship with Havana. "The Cuban regime exemplifies everything that’s wrong with Communism as its population suffers from food shortages, blackouts, poor standards of living, and egregious human rights abuses," Kelly said. "Secretary Rubio wants a better future for the Cuban people, and the United States is ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our two countries. The only thing standing in the way are those who control Cuba for their own gain."
The administration's pressure campaign against Cuba has intensified. In June, Rubio designated five entities generating revenue for Havana, including three linked to the military-controlled conglomerate GAESA, and a relative of Castro's extended family. This action followed an executive order authorizing sanctions against individuals deemed responsible for repression in Cuba or threats to U.S. security.
A State Department report released last month identified Cuba as the "capital of 21st century communism" and alleged that the DSA was among organizations sustaining pro-Cuba activism in the United States. The DSA had previously rejected the report, asserting its independent organization and accusing the administration of attempting to silence its movement.
Fidel Castro died in 2016 at the age of 90, ten years after ceding power to his brother Raúl due to illness.
