Trump threatens to reverse Obama’s Cuba thaw
President-elect Donald Trump said Monday he will reverse President Obama’s thaw with Cuba if the island nation’s government does not make reforms.
“If Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, I will terminate deal,” Trump tweeted.
{mosads}Trump is pledging to follow through on a campaign promise to undo Obama’s decision to open diplomatic and commercial ties with Cuba if the communist government doesn’t adopt changes.
The statement comes less than three days after the death of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
In a statement on Saturday marking the longtime U.S. adversary’s passing, Trump did not comment on whether he would roll back Obama’s policies.
“While Cuba remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve,” the president-elect said.
In the days since, Trump’s top aides sent conflicting signals on whether he would follow through.
Incoming chief of staff Reince Priebus said Sunday he was willing to cancel Obama’s Cuba opening, while top aide Kellyanne Conway indicated a decision has not been made.
Trump can erase nearly all of Obama’s Cuba policies himself, since they were made by executive action and not an act of Congress.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
