In one of the most emotional moments of the first night of the Republican National Convention, Maximo Alvarez, a Cuban-born Florida businessman warned of the Democrats’ “empty promises” of policies, saying such rhetoric from the Democrats “sound familiar” to those of Cuba’s dictator Fidel Castro with his false promises when he imposed his communist regime onto the island.
Alvarez began his remarks telling his family story and reflected on living the American dream.
“My family has fled totalitarianism and communism. And more than once. First from Spain, then from Cuba,” Alvarez said. “But my family is done running away. 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.”
Alvarez, who founded Sunshine Gasoline Distributors praised Trump as “a successful businessman” who may not always be politically correct,” noting he is not a career politician. He described Trump as “just another family man” before laying out the stark comparisons of the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden who Alvarez said is just mostly “concerned about power.”
“Keep in mind the other guy running for president is mostly concerned about power,” Alvarez said. “Yes, yes, power for them. But not for the benefit of all Americans. I’m speaking to you today because I have seen people like this before. I’ve seen movements like this before. I have seen ideas like this before. And I’m here to tell you: We cannot let them take over our country.”
He argued that policies favored by progressive Democrats, such as free health care, calls to defund the police and spread the wealth are just “false promises” that “sound familiar” based on his experiences in Cuba.
“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.
He added, “Go to Freedom Tower in Miami. Stop to listen and you can still hear the sound of 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 for American citizenship.”
Alvarez said, “right now – It is up to us to decide our fate and to choose freedom over oppression.”
“President Trump is fighting against the forces of socialism, communism, and totalitarianism. And 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,” he said.
20202020 Conventions2020 Election2020 Presidential RaceCommunistCubaDemocratsFidel CastroJoe BidenMaximo AlvarezPresident TrumpRepublican ConventionRepublican National ConventionRNC
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