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Left-wing influencer downplays Cuba blackouts, worsening shortages: ‘People are partying’
By Leo Briceno
Published March 25, 2026
Hasan Piker, a progressive media personality and streamer, downplayed the severity of rolling blackouts in Cuba while on a recent trip to the communist island, telling viewers that the population was "partying."
"There are rolling blackouts that take place throughout the day, every day, all around the country. But today is a beautiful day out here. People are partying. People are partying in the f---ing streets. I don’t know if it’s an island mindset," Piker said.
The remarks come as U.S. officials warn the island faces a deepening energy crisis, highlighting a stark divide between firsthand accounts and government assessments.
Piker, who has supported self-declared progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, praised the Cubans for their endurance.
"The people’s resilience is remarkable. There are rolling blackouts that take place throughout the day, every day, all around the country, right? 11 million people."
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Online streamer Hasan Piker attends Zohran Mamdani's election watch party on Nov. 4, 2025, in New York City, United States. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Piker’s descriptions come as Cuba’s communist regime finds itself choked off from access to energy imports after a U.S. operation in Venezuela resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.
According to the Department of State, Cuba began to experience energy shortages shortly afterward.
"Understand that Cuba has largely survived on the basis of subsidies. The Maduro regime was providing them fuel," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a press event at the White House.
"So, the reason why Cuba’s electricity grid was already in collapse — before Maduro was captured, it was already in collapse — the reason why things are as bad as they are is because they have an economic model that does not work. It’s not functional," Rubio said.
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People walk on the street during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, on Monday, March 16, 2026. (Ramon Espinosa/AP)
President Donald Trump has characterized the energy crisis as severe and said he believes public unrest has strengthened U.S. influence over the island.
"I do believe I'll be the honor of taking Cuba... That's a big honor. They're a very weakened nation right now. They were for a long time," Trump told reporters last week.
Trump did not expand on what he meant by "taking" the island.
Piker’s characterizations, however, contrast sharply with the way the administration has framed the on-the-ground circumstances on the island.
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Hasan Piker speaks onstage during Politicon 2018 at Los Angeles Convention Center on Oct. 20, 2018, in Los Angeles, California. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Politicon)
"A lot of the info that you see and hear from the island is like directly coming from like, most of the time, National Endowment for Democracy-Foundation-backed individuals, State Department propaganda, things like that," Piker said, referring to a pro-Democracy group.
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"It’s very difficult to get information out of here. Even though it's so close," he added. "They’re just chilling. Cubans they vibe,"
Piker did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/progressive-streamer-backing-mamdani-says-cubans-partying-f-streets-amid-energy-crisis