Donald Trump Accuses Joe Biden Of Being A ‘Castro Puppet,’ Though The Cuban Leader Has Been Dead Since 2016

Donald Trump is making his closing election argument by apparently accusing Joe Biden of being a puppet of Fidel Castro, even though the Cuban leader has been dead for close to four years.

The president took to Twitter on Sunday to level the charge, appearing to claim that his opponent was under the influence of the former world leader. It has been a regular line of attack for Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that the Democratic candidate is under the thumb of forces on the far left who would then control him as president.

Trump’s tweet drew some immediate pushback and earned some mockery from critics, who pointed out that Castro has been dead since late 2016.

“Should we tell him Castro is dead?” one person tweeted.

Some believe that Trump may have been referring to Raúl Castro, who succeeded his brother back in 2011. The current head of Cuba’s ruling communist regime has not been commonly referred to by his last name, however.

Biden is a proven Castro puppet! Vote TRUMP

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 1, 2020

Trump had made similar attacks against Biden in the closing weeks of the campaign, including evoking the former politician in an attempt to paint Biden as a pawn of the far left.

“Joe Biden is a PUPPET of CASTRO-CHAVISTAS like Crazy Bernie, AOC and Castro-lover Karen Bass,” Trump tweeted on October 10. “Biden is supported by socialist Gustavo Petro, a major LOSER and former M-19 guerrilla leader. Biden is weak on socialism and will betray Colombia. I stand with you!”

Many political pundits believe the attempts to tie Biden in with the communist figure are aimed directly at Florida voters. The state, which has emerged as one of the key battlegrounds in the 2020 race, is home to a significant contingent of Cuban-American voters, and Republicans have made direct appeals to this voting bloc. As Slate noted in September, Trump and Republicans have tried to tie the Democratic candidate to the Castro communist regime. The report noted that the first night of the Republican National Convention featured a speech from Máximo Álvarez, a Cuban-born Florida business mogul who painted Biden as a “Trojan horse for ideas like those of Cuba’s leaders.”

Polls have shown a close race in Florida, with Biden ahead but Trump enjoying significant support among the state’s Cuban-American population. As The New York Times noted, polling showed that the president could take up to 60 percent of this key demographic, boosting his chances of taking what would be close to a must-win state for him on November 3.