Maximo Alvarez, an immigrant who escaped communist Cuba, warned Americans during the Republican National Convention on Monday night that he sees in the Democratic Party many of the things he saw in Cuba.
“I know all about the past. I’ll never forget my own. My family has fled totalitarianism and communism. More than once. First my dad from Spain, then from Cuba,” Alvarez said. “I’m speaking to you today because my family is done abandoning what we’ve rightfully earned. There is no place to hide.”
“I’m speaking to you today because I’ve seen people like this before. I’ve seen movements like this before. I’ve seen ideas like this before and I’m here to tell you, we cannot let them take over our country,” he said. “I heard the promises of Fidel Castro. And I can never forget all those who grew up around me, who looked like me, who could have been me, who suffered and starved and died because they believed those empty promises. They swallowed the communist poison pill.”
“Those false promises — spread the wealth, free education, free healthcare, defund the police, trust a socialist state more than your family and community — they don’t sound radical to my ears. They sound familiar,” he said. “When Fidel Castro was asked if he was a communist, he said he was a Roman Catholic. He knew he had to hide the truth.”
“But the country I was born in is gone – destroyed. When I watch the news in Seattle and Chicago and Portland, in other cities, when I see history being rewritten, when I hear the promises, I hear echoes of a former life I never wanted to hear again. I see shadows I thought I had outrun,” he said. “I may be Cuban-born, but I am 100% American. This is the greatest country in the world. I said this before. If I gave away everything I have today, it would not equal 1% of what I was given when I came to this great country of ours: The gift of freedom.”
“Right now it is up to us to decide our fate and to choose freedom over oppression,” he concluded. “President Trump is fighting the forces of anarchy and communism. And I know he will continue to do just that. And what about his opponent? And the rest of the DC swamp? I have no doubt they will hand the country over to those dangerous forces. … And here is what I’ve decided. My decision is very easy. I choose President Trump because I choose America.”
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TRANSCRIPT:
MAXIMO ALVAREZ: I live in Miami, Florida, not far from the Strait of Florida, which is just a 90-mile wide blue strip on a map for me. It divides freedom from fear. It divides the past from the future.
I know all about the past. I’ll never forget my own. My family has fled totalitarianism and communism. More than once. First my dad from Spain, then from Cuba.
But my family is done leaving. By the grace of God, I have lived the American dream, the greatest blessing I’ve ever had. My dad, who only had a sixth-grade education told me, “Don’t lose this place. You’ll never be as lucky as me.”
I’m speaking to you today because my family is done abandoning what we’ve rightfully earned. There is no place to hide.
I’m speaking to you today because President Trump may not always be politically correct. He is, in fact, a successful businessman, not your average career politicians. Our president is just another family man, a friend, and most importantly, our elected commander-in-chief who puts America first.
Keep in mind, the other guy running for president is mostly concerned about power. Yes. Yes, power for them, but not for the benefit of all other Americans.
I’m speaking to you today because I’ve seen people like this before. I’ve seen movements like this before. I’ve seen ideas like this before and I’m here to tell you, we cannot let them take over our country.
I heard the promises of Fidel Castro. And I can never forget all those who grew up around me, who looked like me, who could have been me, who suffered and starved and died because they believed those empty promises. They swallowed the communist poison pill.
If you have a chance, go to Freedom Tower in Miami. Stop to listen and you can still hear the sounds of those broken those promises being broken. It is the sound of waves in the ocean, carrying families clinging to pieces of wood, families with children who can’t swim, but willing to risk everything to reach this blessed land. It is the sound of tears hitting the paper of an application to become an American citizen. Most heard unlike the promises, but soon after they experienced the reality. Look at them. Listen to them. Learn the truth.
Those false promises — spread the wealth, free education, free healthcare, defund the police, trust a socialist state more than your family and community — they don’t sound radical to my ears. They sound familiar.
When Fidel Castro was asked if he was a communist, he said he was a Roman Catholic. He knew he had to hide the truth.
But the country I was born in is gone – destroyed. When I watch the news in Seattle and Chicago and Portland, in other cities, when I see history being rewritten, when I hear the promises, I hear echoes of a former life I never wanted to hear again. I see shadows I thought I had outrun.
My parents only wanted one person to decide my fate: me. Not some party member, not some government official, not some bureaucrat. In America, I would decide my own future.
I am so grateful to America, the place where I was able to build my American dream through hard work and determination. President Trump knows that the American story was written by people just like you and I, who love our country and take risks to build a future for our families and neighbors.
I may be Cuban-born, but I am 100% American. This is the greatest country in the world. I said this before. I gave away everything I have today, it would not equal 1% of what I was given when I came to this great country of ours: The gift of Freedom.
Right now it is up to us to decide our fate and to choose freedom over oppression.
President Trump is fighting the forces of anarchy and communism. And I know he will continue to do just that. And what about his opponent? And the rest of the DC swamp? I have no doubt they will hand the country over to those dangerous forces.
You and I will decide.
And here is what I’ve decided. My decision is very easy. I choose President Trump because I choose America.