Trump Says "Cuban Regime Will Eventually Collapse"; Cuban Delegation Walks Out En Masse During United Nations (UN) Speech

[Financial News] An unprecedented incident unfolded when a Cuban delegation walked out of the assembly hall en masse during U.S. President Donald Trump's speech at the UN General Assembly. Trump had described the Cuban regime as a "completely failed state" and declared that it would collapse. He also referred to Mexican drug cartels, Venezuela and Greenland, declaring that he would reestablish the United States' overwhelming security control and military hegemony in the Western Hemisphere, which encompasses North and South America.
In his keynote address to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, held at UN Headquarters in New York on the 22nd (local time), President Trump opened by saying, "Our administration is pursuing fundamental changes in Cuba, where the communist regime is facing the greatest pressure it has ever experienced."
President Trump said, "Cuba is a completely failed state, collapsing more seriously than at any time in the past, and it will ultimately collapse." He warned, "We will never allow hostile foreign forces to have a haven that threatens the United States right on our doorstep." He added, "Communism will never enter the United States, but freedom will certainly come to Cuba. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is engaged in in-depth negotiations with Cuba, so let's see what comes of it."
He also launched a scathing attack, saying, "For decades, the Cuban regime has colluded with subversive radical groups in the United States, including Antifa and the Communist Party."

As President Trump continued his harsh criticism of Cuba, a four-member Cuban delegation led by Foreign Minister Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla rose from its seats in unison and walked out of the hall. The scene was broadcast live around the world via the UN's coverage. Rodríguez Parrilla immediately pushed back in a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "The U.S. government cannot accept the fact that Cuba is a fully independent and sovereign country" and that "Cuba poses no threat to the United States or any other country."
That day, President Trump made clear his intention to firmly establish U.S. security leadership across the Western Hemisphere, encompassing all of North and South America, rather than focusing solely on Cuba.
Referring to the U.S. military airstrikes on Venezuela carried out in January, the arrest and transfer of former President Nicolás Maduro Moros, and operations targeting drug-smuggling vessels in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean, he stressed, "These are clear proof that the United States will no longer allow threatening forces to gain a foothold anywhere in the Western Hemisphere." He added, "If necessary, we will not hesitate to use incomparable military power to protect the United States' vital national interests."
He also issued a sharp warning over security concerns along the Mexican border. President Trump said, "It is unacceptable for the United States to share a 2,000-mile border, approximately 3,200 kilometers long, with areas controlled by hostile cartels," and strongly urged the Mexican government to eliminate criminal organizations and restore control over its territory.
He also described Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, as "the northern frontier of North America" and highlighted a trilateral security agreement with Denmark and Greenland that was scheduled to be signed that day. He said, "This agreement gives the United States permanent control over the security of Greenland's territory and related needs," adding, "We will have the full capabilities necessary to defend the Americas and Europe."

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter