US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz clashed dramatically with Cubas foreign minister on the floor of the UN General Assembly Tuesday as he exposed the communist regimes lavish lifestyle amid widespread Cuban poverty.
The confrontation erupted as Waltz denounced corrupt Cuban elites, according to the New York Post, underscoring the hypocrisy of a regime that preaches equality while its leaders flaunt luxury goods. At one point, he displayed a photo of late dictator Fidel Castro wearing two Rolex watches worth about $40,000 in todays dollars.
According to the regimes own statistics, that would pay for 55 years of an average Cuban wage, Waltz told the assembly, before turning to a photo of Miguel Daz-Canel and adding, It didnt just start with Castro. This is the current Cuban president, also with a Rolex on.
As Waltz spoke, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodrguez Parrilla stormed toward the rostrum and accused him of lying, prompting the ambassador to shout, Back up! Waltz then told the delegates, He doesnt like hard truths, adding pointedly, You can come and intimidate all you want.
Hes not going to intimidate me in the United States of America like he tries to intimidate political prisoners, Waltz declared, raising his voice as UN officials moved in to restore order. The tense exchange highlighted the stark contrast between American willingness to call out authoritarian abuses and the bullying tactics long associated with Havanas rulers.
A video obtained by The Post showed Waltz spokesman J.P. Freire being assaulted by a member of the Cuban delegation who tried to seize his iPhone as he recorded the clash. Members of the Cuban delegation were simultaneously filming their own media as Parrilla advanced on Waltz mid-speech, underscoring how even at the UN, the regimes instinct is to control the narrative rather than answer for its record.
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