U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz clashed with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla on Tuesday in a tense confrontation on the U.N. floor, as Waltz accused Cuba’s communist regime of corruption.
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An angry Rodríguez rose and advanced toward the podium, shouting at Waltz and accusing him of lying. Waltz pointed at the Cuban minister and told him to “back up.”
NEW: @USAmbUN Mike Waltz just got into a shouting match on the floor of the general assembly with Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla “He’s not going to intimidate me in the United States of America, like he tries to intimidate political prisoners,” Waltz said, raising his voice “Back up!”
— Josh Christenson (@jchristenson_) October 27, 2026
🚨 HOLY SMOKES. Trump UN Ambassador Mike Waltz just WENT BERSERK at the Cuban official who tried INTIMIDATING him in the middle of his remarks “BACK AWAY. THIS ISN’T HAVANA. You’re NOT gonna intimidate ME! Do you understand who you’re dealing with? This is AMERICA…SIT DOWN.” 🔥🔥🔥 “I’m the representative of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA — BACK UP!” “You can bring as many people as you want, PLEASE SIT DOWN.” The moderator got flustered! The UN is a total crapshow! I think these Cuban communists just KNOW what is coming. Rubio told Cubans to partner with the CIA, and they’re shook now.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 27, 2026
“He’s not going to intimidate me in the United States of America like he tries to intimidate political prisoners,” Waltz added as UN officials sought to restore order.
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Cuba has become a target of the Trump administration under the “Donroe Doctrine,” which seeks to align countries in the Western Hemisphere with U.S. interests. As part of that foreign policy, Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro was deposed earlier this year in a U.S. special forces operation and brought to the United States to face justice. The administration has also taken a more aggressive stance toward Cuba expressing support for regime change, citing the communist government’s abuse of its citizens and hostility toward the United States.
However the confrontation between Ambassador Waltz and Rodríguez was not the only one to occur. Video obtained by the New York Post shows Waltz’s spokesman, J.P. Freire, being assaulted by another member of the Cuban delegation as he recorded the confrontation on his phone.
One of the Cuban regime’s “diplomats” tried to intimidate UN staff into cutting our microphones as I exposed the regime for the world to see. When one of my American diplomats noticed what was happening, that same regime “diplomat” tried to intimidate him, too. https://t.co/kmBlpMlPcY
— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@USAmbUN) October 27, 2026
Waltz’s broader speech argued against a U.N. resolution calling for an end to the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba, which progressives and international leftists have accused of compounding the suffering caused by the country’s socialist mismanagement.
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The U.S. Ambassador to the UN countered that the regime targeted by the embargo has shown little concern for its citizens, accusing its leaders of amassing Rolex watches, real estate and other luxuries while the Cuban people have long suffered, which triggered the confrontation by the Cuban Foreign Minister.
See the corrupt Cuban regime’s Rolex collection while their people sit in the dark. https://t.co/6wMlNhmNhl
— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@USAmbUN) October 27, 2026
The Cuban regime’s corruption is staggering: They relax on their private island while their people go without groceries and electricity. https://t.co/twKdmQ6EO8
— Ambassador Mike Waltz (@USAmbUN) October 27, 2026
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are once again respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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