Kelly Hayes
The Democratic National Committee is launching a new ad to showcase President Joe Biden’s support for Cuban liberty.
The ads will be distributed in a digital campaign provided in both English and Spanish, and will highlight “Biden’s commitment to the Cuban people and condemnation of communism as a failed system,” according to a news release. 
“President Biden has been incredibly clear: the Cuban people are crying out for freedom and the United States will continue to stand with them and hold Cuban officials accountable for their abuse of basic human rights,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement. “The DNC is committed to using our resources to speak directly to the Cuban community in South Florida to make sure they know that President Biden and Democrats have their back.”
The ad campaign comes after Biden announced sanctions on Cuban officials to hold the regime accountable for human rights violations, including the government’s crack down on recent protests and cut off of internet access for its citizens.
The ads are targeted toward Cuban American voters in South Florida, and will be distributed on sites like Facebook, Instagram and other social media.
The ads say “The Cuban people have the same right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly as all people,” and “Communism is a universally failed system.”
Back on July 12, Biden released a statement supporting Cuban protesters one day after demonstrations spread throughout the country and went viral on social media. Those videos inspired Floridians to march in solidarity with Cubans standing up to the communist regime and demanding basic needs — such as food supply and health care.
But Republicans have criticized Biden for not responding soon — or strongly — enough. Support for the protests has been bipartisan, though suggestions on how to respond have varied.
Many Republicans, such as Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Reps. Carlos Giménez and María Elvira Salazar, pushed Biden to help restore internet access for the Cuban population. Some progressive Democrats also called on Biden to lift the U.S. embargo on Cuba to help provide more resources to Cuban citizens, while other Democrats have said the embargo is not the issue.
