When he came to America, Maximo Alvarez’s father told him, “Don’t lose this place, because you’re never going to be as lucky as me. Because if you lose this place, you have no place to go.”
Alvarez, a Cuban immigrant who came to the U.S. some 60 years ago, spoke for nearly 10 minutes during a round table discussion last week with President Donald Trump. The now-president of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors, Alvarez spoke about the blessings this country has afforded him since he escaped communism in Cuba.
Warning against the “communists” in the progressive left seeking to usurp American ideals, the South Florida resident urged young people against becoming “useful idiots.”
“I never forget about my dad, who only had a sixth-grade education, but I think he was the greatest philosopher I ever met,” said Alvarez. “He used to tell us how lucky he was because he was able to come from Spain to Cuba and then he came from Cuba to the United States and he saw me graduate from college, and that was the biggest prize he ever had. … Please, people. Explain that to your young people who are demonstrating out there. Don’t be useful idiots.”
Alvarez recalled the promised freedoms of eventual Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. He guaranteed “free education and free health care and free land.”
“My God, no freedom,” he recalled. “But he never said that until after he was in power and got rid of all the police, got rid of all the military [that had] been there for the last 60 years and counting, and he destroyed each and every one who helped him [in] the Catholic Church.”
He thanked Trump for choosing to run for president over enjoying the “fruits of his labors,” talking about the numerous properties and golf courses owned by the 74-year-old politician.
To those listening, Alvarez said, “Please understand what’s happening in our country. See what happens to our parents and see what is happening to America today.”
Last month, Venezuelan activist Elizabeth Rogliani Otaola gained a lot of attention for posting a video to TikTok in which she warned Americans about the dangerous of rioters and protesters continuing to tear down statues around the country.
She sees what’s happening right now in the U.S. as eerily similar to what went on years ago in Venezuela.
“You need to guard your country and your society, or it will be destroyed,” Otaola said. “We didn’t believe it could happen to us, most Venezuelans. Cubans warned us, and we were like, ‘We’re Venezuelan. We know what freedom is like. That’s not gonna happen here.’ Yet, it happened. And there’s clearly a lot of people wanting to destroy the U.S.”
During an appearance on Fox News, she added, “This is a slippery slope. The next thing is gonna be all the symbols of the United States, founding fathers are gonna be attacked, religious symbols are gonna be attacked, and probably museums. I mean, anything can be attacked if you just let it happen.”