The Truth About Trump’s New Cuba Policy

Trump declared an official “reversal” on American and Cuban relations while speaking in the heart of Little Havana, Florida on Friday. He denounced Cuba’s “communist domination” and advocated for humans rights to be restored to the Cuban people. The President plans to restrict tourism in America to the Caribbean island.

“The previous administration’s easing of restrictions on travel and trade does not help the Cuban people, they only enrich the Cuban regime”

Americans cannot individually (“people-to-people”) travel to Cuba without having regulated tour groups. Tourists will be under government surveillance. For the minority of Cuban-Americans who attended Trump’s speech, it is a celebration. For the majority, it is a disastrous policy.

When former President Barack Obama announced the restoration of Cuban relations with the United States, it was a progressive step for Cuba’s economy. It thawed Cuba and America’s hostility since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

“The majority of my clients are American,” he said.”With Airbnb, I have become independent. I market and sell my own product that I have total control over.”

Cuban newspaper Granma have criticized Trump’s actions by stating,

President Trump lists a series of interfering impositions on how to organize society and the Cuban state as conditions to improve the relationship. It is a return to the Cold War rhetoric that seemed to have been overcome. “We will strengthen the blockade, so that the investments reach the people of Cuba,” says the president in a contradictory logic, because it is precisely the blockade the main cause of the limitations of ordinary citizens on the island.”

With Trump’s lack of political knowledge and tendency of being easily persuaded, there is no doubt Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio and Florida’s Representative Diaz-Balart forced this on him. Rubio and Balart have been openly opposed towards Obama’s policy. Rubio hopes “that in five to 10 years — or less — Cuba will look very different, and people will point to this as the moment that kind of triggered those changes.”

Trump does not care for the people living in Cuba. If he did he would have furthered tourist relations. Trump is rolling back Obama’s progress to gain support from the minority Cuban-American group who endorsed him during the elections. If it wasn’t for them, he would not have won Florida.