Cuba’s President Defiant Amid Trump Threats: ‘If We Need To Die, We’ll Die’

Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel told NBC News’s Kristen Welker Sunday that he’s willing to give his life “for the revolution” if it comes to that, over threats from the United States.

In the wake of Venezuela and the war with Iran, Welker asked Díaz-Canel — appearing in his first-ever American television interview — about President Donald Trump’s statements that “Cuba is next.”

“Do you fear you could be killed or arrested by the United States?” Welker asked.

“Those of us who have leadership positions within the revolution have a strong commitment to our revolution and to our heroic people,” Díaz-Canel said. “And our responsibility entails the conviction and the commitment that we’re willing to give our lives for the revolution and for the cause which we defend.”

“So, for me that is not a matter of concern,”  Díaz-Canel continued. “If the time comes, I don’t think there would be any justification for the United States to launch a military aggression against Cuba, or for the U.S. to undertake a surgical operation, like the kidnapping of a president. If that happens, there will be fighting and there will be a struggle. And we’ll defend ourselves. And if we need to die, we’ll die, because as our national anthem says, ‘Dying for the homeland is to live.'”

“What you’re saying is very powerful,” Welker said, “but are you afraid for yourself? For your family? Or are you prepared for, as you say, make the ultimate sacrifice if you are attacked?”

“I have no fear. I am willing to give my life for the revolution,” Díaz-Canel answered. “Of course, I wouldn’t like that to be the attitude of the U.S. government.”

Welker asked if Cuba was “actively bracing” for the possibility of an attack by the United States.

“Like I’ve always said in previous interviews, and when I also addressed the Cuban people, it is evident there are threats out there. It is part of the rhetoric of the U.S. government. Cuba has done nothing to offend the U.S. Cuba has never said about attacking the United States or interfering in the United States’s affairs,” Díaz-Canel said.

“However, you hear that ‘Cuba is next,’ … that they’re going to take over Cuba. So, from the position of responsibility within the leadership of the country, that is a warning. And we need to responsibly protect our people, protect our project, and protect our country. So, we are preparing ourselves for defense,” he said.

Díaz-Canel added that Cuba has a doctrine “which is entirely defensive; it is not aggressive. It does not propose a threat.”

Watch the clip above via NBC News’s Meet The Press.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!