In an interview with CNN, Sandro Castro says that “most Cubans want capitalism, not communism”
14ymedio, Madrid, March 31, 2026 – The interview that Patrick Oppmann, from the American channel CNN, conducted with Sandro Castro, grandson of the late leader of the Revolution, has generated more ink than its mere length deserves. Barely a little over four minutes for a statement that will go down badly in the Palace of the Revolution, but will not go down in history.
Asked about his opinion on the performance of the current president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, the grandson and grand-nephew of his two predecessors does not hold back. “For me, he is not doing a good job, because he should have done many things a long time ago. Many things that have not been done well and today are harming us,” he says. He says nothing that most Cubans aren’t thinking, but they detest him.
CNN paints a harsher portrait in writing than what the video suggests, recorded in Castro’s small apartment. Influencer, businessman, and provocateur, the grandson of the dynasty is described as a member of a kind of “royal family” who “seems to be auditioning for the role of court jester.”
Influencer, businessman, and provocateur, the grandson of the dynasty is described as a member of a kind of “royal family” who “seems to be auditioning for the role of court jester”
Castro, who does not remove his Chanel sunglasses at any moment despite the conversation taking place entirely at night and inside his home, portrays his already well-known personality in just a few minutes. A refrigerator short on food and full of Cristal beer, an air conditioner and generator running, making his home one of the only illuminated ones in the area and highlighting his strong connections. Today, there is no greater status symbol than having what it takes to keep a generator running. As a finishing touch, decorative light bulbs illuminate his terrace over a dark Havana.
“There are many people who want there to be capitalism with sovereignty in Cuba,” he blurts out. He does not say it as a reflection or develop a theory; he simply knows that millions of people will react to the remark.
Thus goes each of the phrases he throws out while drinking a beer with the journalist. “My grandfather was a person who had his principles. He had his principles – everyone is as they are, logically – but he also respected those of other people,” he says. And again he does not argue about a man who ordered executions for thinking differently; no clarification is possible. He
simply knows it will go viral.
The influencer says he is proud of his origins but systematically rejects that they provide him with any privilege. “My last name is my last name. I am proud of my last name, of course, but I do not see that help you are mentioning in the preamble. I am like any other citizen,” he maintains.
He does not, obviously, miss the chance to comment on Washington. “Cuba faces unprecedented pressure from the United States to open up politically and economically. We have to fight, and as all Cubans say, it’s hard. It’s hard even for a Castro, it’s hard to have a business, very hard. Very hard, because you suffer with thousands of difficulties. One day there may be no electricity, there may be no water, a shipment may not arrive…,” he complains.
“My grandfather was a person who had his principles. He had his principles -everyone is as they are, logically- but he also respected those of other people”
The journalist presses him again about his origins, but he again rejects them and feels like a victim of others’ hatred toward his family. “It’s complicated, because I think that most Cubans want capitalism, not communism, and maybe that has created a divide and a hatred that, sadly, is not productive,” he says, while also noting that he agrees with Trump that there should be an economic opening on the Island, although he rejects the idea of threatening to take it.
The text accompanying the video by CNN, in addition to being very critical of Castro, leaves some details that further sketch the character, among them the fact that he boasts that “his nightclub on a main avenue in Havana ‘only’ cost him $50,000, a sum beyond the wildest imagination of most Cubans.” The grandson also told the network that he aspires to create his own beer and would like to have more venues, but the bureaucracy overwhelms him.
“What little I have is thanks to my effort, my sacrifice,” he said, doing honor to Ted Henken, a professor and expert on the Cuban internet, who summed up Sandro’s attitude in a simple way to CNN. “He is capitalizing on ‘hate me.’”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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