Cuban-born Maximo Alvarez warns against socialism in emotional RNC speech

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Florida businessman Maximo Alvarez warned against the “empty promises” of socialism during an impassioned speech at the Republican National Convention on Monday.

Alvarez, the founder of Sunshine Gasoline Distributors, fled Cuba with his parents at the age of 13 as Fidel Castro and his communist regime took control of the island. Speaking in support of President Trump, an emotional Alvarez alleged that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is “mostly concerned about power” and would allow socialist policies to take hold in America.

“I’ve seen movements like this before. I’ve seen ideas like this before. I am here to tell you – we cannot let them take over our country,” Alvarez 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 suffered and starved and died because they believed those empty promises. They swallowed the communist poison pill.”

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Alvarez argued that policies favored by prominent Democrats, such as free health care, and calls to defund the police are “false promises” that “sound familiar” based on his experiences in Cuba. The Trump administration has accused Biden and running mate Kamala Harris of embracing far-left policies in their platform.

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Officials in several Democrat-run cities have pushed to cut funding for local police forces in recent months amid nationwide protests against systemic racism. Biden has repeatedly denied that he plans to defund police departments, stating instead that he intends to crack down on misconduct and provide support for better practices.

In his speech, Alvarez said recent violence in cities around the country stirred memories of his homeland.

“The country I was born in is gone, totally destroyed,” Alvarez said. “When I watch the news in Seattle and Chicago and Portland, 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.”

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Alvarez said he is “grateful” that he was “able to build my American dream through hard work and determination.”

“President Trump is fighting the forces of anarchy and communism. And now 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,” Alvarez said.