DSA's Castro Praise Exposes Dangerous Ideology, RNC Warns
The Republican National Committee has issued a stark warning that the Democratic Socialists of America's tribute to Fidel Castro amounts to political suicide for Democrats ahead of November's elections. The controversy erupted after the DSA praised the late Cuban dictator and demanded the prosecution of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio over Washington's pressure campaign in Havana.
What did the DSA say about Fidel Castro?
The DSA statement described Castro, who ruled Cuba for nearly half a century after the 1959 revolution, as a model of anti-imperialist resistance. The organization declared that Castro endures as a stalwart symbol of anti-imperialist struggle and self-determination for the Global South.
The group went further, accusing the United States of imposing conditions calculated to kill Cuban civilians and labeling Rubio's leadership as genocide. The DSA demanded an end to the U.S. blockade, normalized relations, reparations for trillions of dollars in alleged damage, and Rubio's prosecution for crimes against humanity.
How did the RNC respond?
RNC national press secretary Natalie Baldassarre condemned the DSA's position in strong terms, saying Democrats are openly embracing policies that left people in Venezuela, Cuba and China with empty shelves, no electricity and stripped freedoms.
Their embrace of this poisonous ideology is political suicide, and it will be their downfall in November, Baldassarre told Fox News Digital.
What is Rubio's position on Cuba?
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, condemned Castro's legacy in a post on X, calling the dictator a complete failure at everything except destroying Cuba and impoverishing, jailing and murdering his own people. He warned anyone tempted to follow Castro's example that they would be dooming themselves to failure.
The administration's pressure campaign expanded in June when Rubio designated five entities that he said generated revenue for Havana, including three associated with the military-controlled conglomerate GAESA, as well as a member of Castro's extended family. The action followed a May executive order authorizing sanctions against those deemed responsible for repression in Cuba.
What does the White House say?
The White House rejected the DSA's characterization of Rubio's Cuba policy and blamed Cuba's communist government for the island's economic hardships and human rights abuses. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said 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.
What does this mean for the broader ideological debate?
A State Department report released last month called Cuba the capital of 21st century communism and named DSA among organizations it alleged helped sustain pro-Cuba activism in the United States. DSA rejected the report three days before its tribute, saying it organized independently of the Cuban government.
Castro died in 2016 at age 90, ten years after illness led him to hand power to his brother, Raúl. Fox News Digital reached out to the DSA for comment but did not immediately receive a response.