Trump’s senseless positions on Cuba
It’s as if the U.S. government is arrogantly saying, “Why should we listen to the rest of the world and their wishes? We’re the U.S. and what we say goes, screw everyone else…”
Here is a quick summary of the reasons provided by at least one enabler of President Donald Trump’s approach to Cuba policy, based on recent statements and official memos.
The main policy goals regarding Cuba, says Rep. Carlos Gimenez, a Republican member of Congress from Miami who has historically bowed to Trump, are to apply economic pressure and what he terms ‘regime accountability.’ He was quoted as saying that the plan is to “economically suffocate the criminal regime in Havana.”
Gimenez, who calls himself a Cuban-American, seems to forget that applying this kind of pressure mostly harms the 10 million Cubans on the island. Regarding accountability for the criminal regime, Gimenez should be watching the Trump administration, which acts more like terrorists. Also, has Gimenez not noticed that Donald Trump behaves more like a mafia godfather than a U.S. president?
Gimenez states that the main goal is to limit “the flow of U.S. dollars to the island” and end the period when “the Cuban regime has relied on remittances, tourism, and access to our economy to stay afloat.”
The Trump sanctions explicitly ban “economic practices that benefit the Cuban government or its military, intelligence, or security agencies at the expense of the Cuban people.” This includes a direct ban on doing business with GAESA, a conglomerate owned by the Cuban military that manages hotels in Cuba. In other words, the Trump administration now aims to tell Cuba how to manage its businesses.
Regarding the United Nations and its members’ overwhelming support (except for the U.S. and Israel) for ending the embargo on Cuba, the administration has stated that they “oppose calls from international bodies like the UN to end the US economic embargo on Cuba.” In other words, it’s as if the U.S. government is arrogantly saying, “Why should we listen to the rest of the world and their wishes? We’re the U.S. and what we say goes, screw everyone else…”
Recent actions have reversed policies from the Biden era, which they claim had “eased U.S. pressure on the communist country.” President Trump has also instructed top officials in a memo to “adjust regulations” within 30 days to limit policies encouraging American tourism and financial dealings with Cuba, undoing the relaxed policies of the Biden administration.
Notably, Trump quickly restored Cuba’s status as a state sponsor of terrorism after re-election, a designation that Biden had removed just days before January 20 of this year. If terrorism is the subject, we believe that the U.S. should look at itself and leave Cuba alone.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said, “After Biden weakened Trump’s tough Cuba policies, this President is fulfilling his campaign promise to stand with the Cuban people and hold the regime accountable.”
The administration claims its firm stance is guided by “the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, as well as solidarity with the Cuban people.” Now that’s a load of crap. They then add that the “Cuban government has long suppressed citizens’ hopes for freedom and prosperity, detained dissidents, and held political prisoners in brutal conditions.” Mr. Trump seems to be looking at himself in the mirror, and when it comes to his policies, he is blaming Cuba for what he is doing right here in the U.S. and around the world.
Congressman Gimenez, never known for his intelligence, claims that Cuba exports instability throughout the region and aligns with our major adversaries — China, Russia, and Iran. First and foremost, instability — that’s a Trump trait, Carlos. As for China, Russia, and Iran, Carlito, soon Trump will have us learning Russian in schools.
Much more can be said, but Cuba is not standing silently in a corner (something Carlos Gimenez cowardly does when Trump speaks). Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla condemned the Trump administration, saying it “strengthens aggression & the economic blockade that punishes the Cuban people and hinders our development,” adding that it “violates [the] human rights” of the entire nation.
Media claim that Cuban-American Trump supporters across the U.S. support Trump’s policies, although the end of TPS for Cubans (they don’t care about the others) disappointed some who strongly back Trump’s tough stance toward Cuba. We wonder if these Cuban-Americans have heard the well-known idiom that says, “Cut off your nose to spite your face.”
Like Gimenez himself, they aren’t very bright, are they?
