He influencer Cuban Alexander Otaola expressed his gratitude for having been invited to the inauguration of the former US president donald trumpwhich will take place in Washington DC on January 20.
Through his social networks, Otaola described this invitation as a “valuable trophy” that represents recognition of his work and credibility.
“Being invited to the inauguration of the 47th president is an honor that I will always keep as a valuable trophy. It is a validation of the work and credibility that we have achieved. Thank you all for your support!” said the presenter in his digital platforms.
The invitation extended to Otaola adds to the one received by the political analyst Manuel Milanéswho also announced having received an official invitation to Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
The representation of the Cuban immigrant community that will attend the event highlights the leading place that the island occupies in the concerns of the new cabinet, which has several Cuban Americans in high-level positions, highlighting the figure of Marco Rubio as future Secretary of State.
The occasion can serve as a framework to stage a message of unity of the Cuban community in the United States, taking into account that several of its most visible figures have had controversies and rivalries, with fights for prominence and crossed criticisms.
In the past, figures like Otaola and Milanés They aired disagreements about their role in the fight for democracy in Cubawhich has been reflected in their respective public statements and appearances on social networks.
While some sectors celebrate these invitations as a show of support for the Cuban cause, others consider them political strategies that do not necessarily translate into a real impact on the situation on the island.
In December 2023, the Cuban regime included several exile personalities on lists of “terrorists” or “destabilizing agents” for his active opposition to the dictatorship. Among them, he included Alexander Otaola Casal, Eliecer Ávila Cecilia, Liudmila Santiesteban Cruz (Liu Santiesteban), Manuel Milanés Pizonero, Alain Lambert Sánchez (Cuban paparazzi), Jorge Ramón Batista Calero (Ultrack) and Eduardo Arias León.
Trump administration priorities, according to Otaola
Recently, Otaola sparked a new controversy by defining the Cubans who, in his opinion, should be deported to Cuba without contemplation during the new Trump Administration.
“Immigrants who did not come for political reasons must be deported. To those who have a criminal record, to those who declare themselves communists, to those who say that what they are interested in is opening a business in Cuba and sending a car there,” he noted.
Otaola said that those are the ones who need to be told “back off,” that they do not qualify for any immigration status and put them on boats or planes back to Cuba.
“In addition, it must be done without asking permission from the Cuban dictatorship, which is another of the big mistakes that the United States is making,” added the former mayoral candidate.
Otaola admitted that although there are “agreements” between both countries, the island cannot be treated as if it were a country that functions normally, because “Cuba is not a normal country.”
He also accused the Cuban Communist Party of using migratory flows as a tool of political pressure.
The controversial presenter said that the United States government “has to stop asking questions, fill the mother ship, set sail, reach the coast, go down to the crowd and tell them: ‘Up, you were born here.'”
Alexander Otaola noted that anyone who does not want to be on that list has to stop being an economic immigrant.
“An economic immigrant is anyone who came here to get a telephone, a car, a living status, and did not come because communism bothered them, they did not come because they felt limited and oppressed in their native country,” he defined.
Otaola did not exempt Cubans with I-220A from the group, in particular those who at Versailles said: “We don’t talk about politics.”
“All those people in the first shipment,” stated the influencerwho took the opportunity to recommend that all deportees be able to take “their little things,” including a generator and a solar panel to withstand the island’s blackouts.
“I think it would be a good thing for the Trump administration to do, and I think it’s going to do it, although maybe not in this way,” he added, concluding that “it would be nice.”
