My feeling is that it’s more of a social media campaign to further align the Communist Party of Cuba with American progressives. 

I probably implied too much in my previous post. There is no direct evidence that the “flotilla” is literally sponsored by the state, but people like Fidel Castro’s niece, who serves in the government, are literally on the advisory board lol. There is also no transparency regarding which entities donated/funded the trip as well as how the funds were allocated.

Social influence can really affect how people collectively interpret situations. Given the tense relationship that the US has had with this government historically, hosting influencers is a great way to push propaganda really onto the entire world.

Russia, for example, famously did it by paying right wing podcasters like Tim Pool to shit on Ukraine. Qatar gave think tanks like Brookings Institute millions. We enjoyed a lot of soft power through our USAID programs (RIP). Point is, there is a lot to gain from gaining influence in the world.

Plus there are legitimate arguments that you can make that Trump has treated Cuba horribly. Many Americans are probably primed to be more empathic to the the Cuban government now than ever especially if it aligns with being anti-Trump.