As Trump escalates pressure on Cuba, CBS News identifies Raúl Castro, Miguel Díaz-Canel and Castro relatives as figures to watch.
President Trump’s public talk of forcing political change in Cuba has put renewed attention on a small circle of Cuban leaders and Castro family members who could shape, resist or complicate any U.S.-backed shift.
CBS News reported that, after U.S. forces removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power, Trump has suggested Cuba could face similar pressure, saying “Cuba’s going to be next” and also musing about “taking Cuba in some form.” What that would mean in practice, or whether it would lead to leadership change in Havana, remains unclear.
The pressure comes after decades of U.S. efforts to alter Cuba’s communist system through sanctions and other measures. CBS reported that living conditions have worsened under a virtual oil blockade imposed by the Trump administration after Maduro’s ouster, while U.S. officials have been meeting with Cuban figures to push for economic and political reforms.
Raúl Castro, 94, is no longer Cuba’s president or the formal head of its Communist Party, roles he left in 2018 and 2021, respectively. But he is still widely viewed as one of the country’s most powerful figures. The younger brother of Fidel Castro led Cuba’s armed forces for decades, took over the presidency from Fidel in 2008 and later headed the party. CBS News has also reported that the U.S. is taking steps to indict him over the 1996 downing of two planes operated by the Cuban exile group Brothers to the Rescue.
Miguel Díaz-Canel, Cuba’s president since 2018 and Communist Party leader, is the first non-Castro to lead the country since the 1959 revolution. His term runs until 2028, but CBS reported that the Trump administration does not believe the changes it wants can happen under him. Díaz-Canel has said talks with the U.S. are meant to identify differences and possible paths forward, while warning that Cuba would defeat any military takeover.
Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, a deputy prime minister and great-nephew of Fidel and Raúl Castro, has emerged as another figure of interest. An electrical engineer by training, he also serves as minister of foreign trade and investment and was appointed deputy prime minister last October. Reports cited by CBS indicate he has also joined the National Assembly, a step that would make him legally eligible to become president.
Pérez-Oliva Fraga was tied to a March announcement allowing Cubans in the diaspora or exile to invest in and own businesses in Cuba, a notable shift in a country long dominated by state enterprises. His trade portfolio also gives him some oversight of GAESA, the military-controlled conglomerate the U.S. State Department sanctioned on May 7. The department says GAESA controls at least 40% of Cuba’s economy and may hold up to $20 billion in illicit assets.
Another closely watched name is Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, Raúl Castro’s 41-year-old grandson, known as “Raulito.” He has no formal government post, but serves as his grandfather’s bodyguard and adviser. Christopher Hernandez-Roy of the Center for Strategic and International Studies described him to CBS as a key gatekeeper to Raúl Castro, whom he said remains central to Cuban decision-making. CBS reported that Rodríguez Castro has been a main point of contact in recent U.S. talks.
The central question is whether Cuba has a figure comparable to Delcy Rodríguez, the Venezuelan vice president whom the U.S. recognized as interim president after Maduro’s removal. Analysts cited by CBS were divided on whether any clear equivalent exists in Cuba. American University professor William LeoGrande told CBS he expected a hard limit in negotiations: Cuban officials may discuss economic issues, he said, but are likely to resist any U.S. attempt to dictate the country’s political system or leadership.
For now, the leadership picture remains unresolved. The United States appears to be testing options, but the Castro family’s continued influence — formal or informal — remains central to any calculation about Cuba’s political future.
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