U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla engaged in a shouting match Tuesday during a U.N. General Assembly meeting after Rodriguez approached the podium as Waltz spoke. Waltz told him to “back up!” amid the exchange.
Waltz had accused Cuba’s government of enriching its leaders while its people suffered, and said Cuba had seized businesses, farms, factories, homes and savings, according to the Daily Beast and Fox News. The Washington Examiner reported that Cuban delegates interrupted by shouting, banging on their table and seeking a point of order before Rodriguez moved toward the front of the room. Waltz told the delegation, “This is America, my friend. This is the United Nations. This isn't your communist dictatorship. You cannot silence me,” Fox News reported.