Miami (USA), Nov 5 (EFE).- Former US President Donald Trump has already won the elections for many of the Cuban voters in Little Havana, according to what they told EFE, including a former Democrat, Ania Fresquet, who is “tired” of the direction the country has taken.
At first glance, Fresquet seems like one of the former president’s followers (2017-2021) when she comes to ask for a “cortadito” at the window of the Versailles restaurant, a political trench for Cubans in Miami for more than 50 years.
With his red cap with the acronym MAGA (Make America Great Again), he joins the conversation of Miguel Saavedra and Oswaldo Hernández, two other staunch followers of the Republican candidate, to talk about the elections that are taking place this Tuesday and confirm that, for them, “the only option is Trump.”
The woman manages to stop the group’s rushed conversation by saying that she is a registered Democrat. The two men who speak to Fresquet for the first time feel the confession as another triumph for the former president.
“In the end, everyone wants taxes not to be high, gasoline to be low, food prices to be different (low),” argues this Cuban who emigrated to the United States in 1973.
He says that he registered as a Democrat since 1992 to support Bill Clinton and voted for that party until the 2016 election, when Hillary Clinton. He even campaigned for her. “But when I heard Trump close his campaign that year, I understood that I had made a mistake,” he says.
“I became a Trumpist,” she says, as she rushes to take out the registration card that accredits her as a member of the Democratic Party, so that they don’t think she’s lying.
She says she is disillusioned with the blue party and has never benefited from a program promoted by their governments that, according to her experience, exclude single taxpayers like her. “I’m tired of so much waste,” she adds.
Fresquet’s words are like a sweet melody to Saavedra and Hernández, members of the ‘Mambisa Vigil,’ a conservative Cuban exile group that regularly organizes protests in Little Havana.
And beyond their ideal to “liberate Cuba”, the two activists say they are “fed up” with the blow to their pockets that inflation has left.
For Saavedra, it is important that Trump continues with his plan for oil and gas exploration within the United States. “That is a real plan to lower gasoline and therefore the grocery bill,” he tells EFE.
Hernández complains about US military spending. “I don’t want,” he says, “for them to continue sending millions and millions of money to Ukraine, to stop the blatant war there.”
All three also point the finger at the entry of irregular immigrants across the border. “This country can no longer receive more people,” emphasizes Hernández.
The winner
When asked who will get the most votes in this sector of Miami-Dade County, the three are quick to assure that Trump won for quite some time.
A survey by Florida International University (FIU) confirms the projection of Fresquet, Hernández and Saavedra. 68% of likely Cuban-American voters in this county said they will vote for the former president, 23% are leaning toward Harris and 5% were still undecided.
This is the highest approval rating recorded for Trump among Cuban Americans in the Cuba Survey, the oldest survey that has tracked trends in the U.S. of this community since 1991. In 2016, Trump recorded 35% approval and in 2020 it was 35%. 59%.
“It seems that the Trump train continues to pick up passengers on Calle Ocho,” the main artery of Little Havana, Guillermo Grenier, the survey’s principal investigator, said in a statement.
In this sense, FIU political scientist Eduardo Gamarra told EFE that Cubans, with 60%, are the group with the highest participation among Latino voters in the United States. Proof of this is that Hernández and Saavedra voted on October 21, the first day of advance voting, and Fresquet did so last week.
For the three voters, this Tuesday will be a normal day in Little Havana, since they say that the majority of those eligible to vote did “their duty,” but they warn that now what they have to worry about is possible “fraud.” following Trump’s theories.
Ana Milena Varón
#Cubans #Miamis #Havana #option #Trump
**Interview with Ania Fresquet, a former Democrat and current Trump supporter from Little Havana**
**Interviewer:** Good afternoon, Ania. Thank you for joining us today. To start, can you tell us what led you to shift your political allegiance from the Democratic Party to supporting Donald Trump?
**Ania Fresquet:** Thank you for having me. I registered as a Democrat back in 1992 to support Bill Clinton and voted that way until 2016 when I backed Hillary Clinton. But when I heard Trump speak during his campaign that year, it was like a lightbulb went off for me. I realized I had made a mistake and that his vision resonated more with my concerns and values.
**Interviewer:** What specific issues do you think Trump addresses that the Democrats do not?
**Ania Fresquet:** I’m really tired of high taxes, rising gas prices, and skyrocketing food costs. I feel like the Democrats have overlooked single taxpayers like me. They promote programs that just seem to exclude people without dependents. With Trump, I believe there’s a real plan for energy independence that would address inflation and bring down prices for everyday Americans.
**Interviewer:** That’s a strong sentiment. You mentioned feeling disillusioned with the Democratic Party. Can you elaborate on what led to that disillusionment?
**Ania Fresquet:** Absolutely. I feel like the party I supported has drifted away from the values I thought they upheld. There’s been so much waste in governance, and I’ve never seen any tangible benefits from their programs. Instead of supporting individuals like myself, I feel like the system is rigged to cater to other interests.
**Interviewer:** You were at Versailles, a well-known spot in Little Havana, where many Cuban exiles gather. How do you feel the Cuban community there is responding to the current political climate and the upcoming election?
**Ania Fresquet:** The sentiment is very pro-Trump among many in our community. We’re frustrated with inflation and government spending, especially when we see funds being sent to Ukraine while we face our issues here. People are tired, and they want a leader who prioritizes America first.
**Interviewer:** Thank you for sharing your perspective, Ania. Lastly, what do you hope to see happen in the upcoming election, both for yourself and for the Cuban community in Miami?
**Ania Fresquet:** I hope that more folks like me realize that they have options beyond blindly following party lines. We want a government that listens to us and puts our needs first. For the Cuban community, it’s about freedom—freedom from high taxes, high prices, and a government that’s out of touch with our realities.
**Interviewer:** Thank you, Ania. It’s been enlightening to hear your insights. Good luck in the upcoming election.
**Ania Fresquet:** Thank you!
