Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, stated on Tuesday, September 8, that his country would never again become a colony or a neo-colony. This comment came after U.S. President Donald Trump posted a map online that depicted Cuba as part of American territory. Díaz-Canel made his statement on the social media platform X, though he did not directly mention Trump’s map, which was shared on Trump’s platform, Truth Social, the previous day. The map, which critics called altered or "doctored," showed several countries, including the United States, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, Greenland, and Iceland, under the American flag. Cuba has a long history of colonial influence. For nearly 400 years, the island was under Spanish rule. After the Spanish-American War in 1898, Spain lost control of Cuba, and the United States occupied the island until 1902, when Cuba became an independent republic. However, the U.S. retained significant influence over the country through economic and political agreements. That influence continued until the Cuban Revolution in 1959, when Fidel Castro led a movement that established a new government and severed many of those ties. Relations between Cuba and the United States have grown more strained in recent months. Trump has repeatedly claimed that Cuba poses an "extraordinary threat" to U.S. national security and has suggested that the U.S. might "take control" of the island. These statements have accompanied a series of economic measures, including a de facto oil embargo, which has worsened Cuba’s economic and energy challenges. The Cuban government has criticized these actions, calling them attempts to undermine its sovereignty and economic stability. The recent map posted by Trump has reignited discussions about historical and current U.S. influence in the region. While the map is not an official government document, it reflects ongoing tensions and the symbolic importance of territorial claims in international relations. Cuba has consistently emphasized its desire for independence and self-determination, a stance rooted in its complex colonial past and the political changes of the 20th century.