Cuban-American congressman rebukes Florida Senate hopeful Angie Nixon over Cuba remarks

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., whose family fled Cuba when he was young, has sharply criticized Florida Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon for what he says was a failure to condemn the island's government clearly enough. Nixon, a state representative challenging Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., has rejected the characterization of her remarks in a recent interview.

The dispute centers on a CBS News interview aired Monday. When the interviewer asked Nixon whether she considers Cuba a dictatorship, she responded: « That is what people have told me. I have never been to Cuba, and so I will have to take their word for it. » Nixon, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, did not give a direct yes or no answer.

CBS initially posted a tweet, since deleted, accusing Nixon of refusing to answer the question. Nixon called that a « serious failure of editorial reporting » and said the claim was « categorically false. » CBS has since re-uploaded the footage on X and apologized for the misleading language.

Gimenez told Fox News Digital that he still believes Nixon refused to acknowledge the regime. « There is no ambiguity: Cuba is a communist dictatorship that has imprisoned, tortured, and murdered innocent people for decades, » he said. « Floridians deserve leaders who stand unequivocally for freedom, not politicians who whitewash the horrors of communism. » Cuba has been under communist rule since 1959.

Nixon did not respond to Gimenez's comments or to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. During the same interview she criticized the decades-long U.S. embargo on Cuba and expressed support for returning to policies pursued under former President Barack Obama. She argued that such an approach could help address the island's widespread blackouts and shortages of medical care.

Obama began a diplomatic thaw with Cuba in 2014, restoring diplomatic relations and easing certain economic and travel restrictions imposed during the Cold War. In 2015 his administration removed Cuba from the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism and eased restrictions on certain forms of trade. Nixon and other DSA members have argued that the U.S. embargo contributes to deteriorating living conditions for Cuban people.

President Donald Trump's administration has maintained that certain sanctions target businesses tied to Cuba's military, including Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), a conglomerate controlled by the Cuban armed forces. Reports cited in the coverage put GAESA's worth at more than $14.5 billion and say it oversees 37% of the country's gross domestic product. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that such measures are not sanctions on the Cuban people, adding that « the Cuban people don't benefit from GAESA. »

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Caroline Mercer

World News Correspondent

Caroline Mercer covers public affairs, politics, business, culture and daily news for Core Memo. The role focuses on verification, context, and clear explanations for readers.

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