Trump trial: Amid GOP reaction, Florida senator tops with Cuban kangaroo court comparison

Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is drawing sharp criticism for comparing the conviction of Donald Trump to the widely criticized show trials in the aftermath of the Fidel Castro-led Cuban Revolution.

Speaking on Fox News on Thursday evening, hours after Trump was convicted on all 34 counts in his "hush money" trial in a Manhattan courtroom, Rubio said the case was "the most outrageous travesty" of justice that he has seen.

“This is a quintessential show trial. This is what you see in communist countries," said Rubio, the son of Cuban parents. "This is what I grew up having people in the community tell me about. It happened in the days after the Castro revolution. Obviously, those led to executions. This, on the other hand, is an effort to interfere in an election."

His comments drew a sharp rebuke from Florida Democrats,

"Marco Rubio just compared the United States judicial system to trials in an authoritarian country like Cuba, where the courts serve the regime. It is an insult to democracy and the legitimate institutions of our nation," said FDP Chair Nikki Fried. “It is also offensive to the Cuban American community.”

“Republicans continue to use the pain of the Cuban people and Cubans in exile who do not have legal and fair representation in their country. Instead of respecting their pain, they are playing political games.”

Rubio, said to be a potential Trump vice presidential running mate, also posted on X, formerly Twitter, a black-and-white video of the infamous show trials in post-revolution Cuba. Prominently portrayed in the 1:07-second clip was the public trial of Jesús Sosa Blanco, a military officer in the deposed Fulgencio Batista dictatorial regime.

Sosa was accused of more than 100 murders and other human rights abuses. His trial was held in a sporting arena and was attended by a crowd the size of a modern-day NBA basketball game. Dozens of Sosa's accusers spoke against him, often shouting their allegations, including women who accused him of murdering their loved ones.

The televised trial lasted 13 hours, and Sosa's fate was decided by a revolutionary government military tribunal in January 1959, while Cuba was still in a transitional government. He was later executed by firing squad.

Rubio's critics cited the obvious differences between the handling of the Trump case in a civilian court system that has been operating for centuries and a military tribunal organized in the weeks after a violent regime change.

"Claiming that this is a political trial, when the worst thing that will likely happen is he gets fined a small amount of money or a slap on the wrist, is of course absurd," wrote one responder on X. "Comparing it to countries where folks were killed for their politics? That's just insulting."

Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected]. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump trial: Marco Rubio goes over the top with Cuba show trial tweet