Wikimedia Commons
An image of Fidel Castro with the purported quote, “I will not die until America is destroyed” is fake. Castro never said that, however, many social media users have used the false quote as a joke given the events that have occurred in 2016—especially Donald Trump being elected president.
Snopes
The meme, which is also paired with a doctored photo of Castro lying in a coffin in some images, has been shared more than 230,000 times on Facebook.
Castro, who led his country for nearly 50 years, died last Friday at age 90. President Barack Obama and President-elect Trump offered differing responses in the wake of Castro’s death, which sparked outrage by some. According to CNN, “their reactions shines a light on the differing views of the future of U.S.-Cuba relations.”
Obama’s official White House statement reads, in part:
At this time of Fidel Castro’s passing, we extend a hand of friendship to the Cuban people. We know that this moment fills Cubans – in Cuba and in the United States – with powerful emotions, recalling the countless ways in which Fidel Castro altered the course of individual lives, families, and of the Cuban nation. History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him.
In the days ahead, they will recall the past and also look to the future. As they do, the Cuban people must know that they have a friend and partner in the United States of America.
Trump shared his statement on Facebook, which reads:
Today, the world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades. Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights.
Though the tragedies, deaths and pain caused by Fidel Castro cannot be erased, our administration will do all it can to ensure the Cuban people can finally begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty.
He also shared a few tweets regarding Castro’s death and U.S.-Cuba relations:
Fidel Castro is dead!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2016
If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate deal.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 28, 2016
The fake quote was also largely shared on Twitter, many paired with a joke about Trump becoming president.
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Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons