Day 149: Trump’s Cuba Policy Change — Hot Air
Donald Trump quickly jetted in and out of Miami yesterday. He made a speech announcing a change to the “terrible and misguided deal” Barack Obama made with Cuba.
He proclaimed a huge victory and underscored that he was keeping his campaign promises.
During his speech, he boasted, “Effective immediately, I am canceling the last administration’s completely one-sided deal with Cuba.”
On closer inspection, however, Trump didn’t actually cancel Obama’s deal. Sure, he altered some parts, maybe, but he didn’t come close to eliminating it. This isn’t shocking, as Obama’s changes were quite popular on both sides of the aisle.
For starters, diplomatic relations between the two nations will remain open. The Cuban embassy in Washington and the American embassy in Havana aren’t going anywhere. Furthermore, despite proclaiming the previously longstanding embargo on Cuban-made goods would be enforced, Americans will not seeing new restrictions on their ability to be bring goods, such as cigars and rum, home with them upon returning from Cuba.
Americans are still free to travel to Cuba directly via plane or by cruise, though Trump is retightening restrictions in how Americans travel when in Cuba. These changes are likely to have an effect of making it more challenging — and expensive — for Americans looking to visit Cuba. This will benefit a small group of tour operators and ultimately hurt Americans looking to travel. Cuban-Americans will be able to continue freely traveling to the island and sending money to relatives still there.
Commerce with Cuban businesses owned by the military and intelligence is prohibited, though many of the rules broadening the ability to do business with other entities will remain in place. However, some of the rules being enforced by Trump may positively affect the Trump Organization by limiting hotel brands’ expansion in Cuba, including some of the Trump Organization’s competitors who already have a presence on the island.
Most people in Washington know this announcement was all sizzle, no steak. “The policy isn’t going to do anything new,” a source from the office of one Cuban American lawmaker complained. “It’s pretty weak.”
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) added:
“Any policy change that diminishes the ability of Americans to travel freely to Cuba is not in the best interests of the United States or the Cuban people. It is time Senate leadership finally allowed a vote on my bipartisan bill to fully lift these archaic restrictions which do not exist for travel by Americans to any other country in the world.”
Trump has declared this a victory, but in actuality, not much is changing in the U.S.-Cuba policy. It will end up costing Americans more money who want to travel to Cuba and enrich a small handful of companies. Cuba is unlikely to be persuaded by much of this rhetoric and lean further on economic allies such as China or Russia.
149 days in, 1313 to go
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