Associated Press
Americans won’t be allowed to bring home cigars and rum from Cuba under measures President Donald Trump announced Wednesday to financially starve the island’s government, a move taken as he tries to boost his appeal among Cuban-Americans, Florida’s crucial voting bloc.
The action comes as the Republican president reaffirmed his administration’s “ironclad solidarity” with the Cuban people, whose descendants in the U.S. often vote for the GOP. It also comes as Trump considers a Cuban American from Florida for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.
At a White House ceremony recognizing nearly two dozen veterans of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961, Trump said U.S. travelers will also be prohibited from staying at hotels and other properties owned by the Cuban government.
Trump said the new steps announced by the Treasury Department will ensure that U.S. dollars do not fund the Cuban government, but go directly to the everyday Cubans.
“Today we reaffirm our ironclad solidarity with the Cuban people and our eternal conviction that freedom will prevail over the sinister forces of communism and evil in many different forms,” the president said. “Today we declare America’s unwavering commitment to a free Cuba.”
The new restrictions are the latest in the Trump administration effort to reinstate an economic blockade of Cuba and reverse the strategy of restoring diplomatic relations with the island, the policy that was pursued by former President Barack Obama’s administration.
Cuban-Americans are a crucial voting bloc in Florida, a state critical to Trump’s reelection prospects.
Republicans have long dominated with these voters, who are known for a collective dislike of President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat, over the Bay of Pigs invasion. The mission failed to meet its goal of toppling the communist government of Cuba’s Fidel Castro.
Trump recognized the Bay of Pigs veterans at the White House in November 2019, but Wednesday’s ceremony was held as Trump has publicly talked up Barbara Lagoa, a U.S. appeals court judge of Cuban descent, as a possible successor to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
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Republished with permission from The Associated Press.
5 comments
S.B. ANTHONY
September 23, 2020 at 3:47 pm
Apparently, the Castros rebuffed trump’s requests to put a trump hotel in Cuba at some point.
Sonja Fitch
September 23, 2020 at 3:47 pm
The Cuban-Americans are not idiots! They recognize a damn fascist dictator like Trump! Vote Blue! Vote Democrat up and down ballot !
Sonja Fitch
September 24, 2020 at 4:35 am
Fascist ! The goptrump cult is a group of sociopaths that are racist sexist liars! Vote Blue! Vote Democrat up and down ballot !
Gail
September 24, 2020 at 1:38 am
Kind of hard to find a Biden sign to steal?
Republican / Democrat Positions: Still Undecided???
1. Free Healthcare for Illegal aliens, DACA, TPS recipients & their families. Taxpayer-funded with one estimate at $52 trillion.
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
2. Citizenship for 20 to 50 million illegal aliens, DACA, TPS recipients, and their families with a cost of billions to taxpayers.
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
3. De-fund Police. Biden is doing his best to walk this back. In the Senate (so there’s a record), Kamala Harris called it “re-imagine law enforcement.” Biden recently stated he was in favor, quote “redirecting law enforcement funds.” If Biden/Harris is elected, you know what will happen.
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
4. Biden has stated he will raise taxes to over 71 trillion. With this Democrat platform, he will have to.
Democrats Yes.
Republicans NO TAX INCREASES / TAX CUTS.
5. Sanctuary Cities & States. Biden & Harris supports sanctuary cities.
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
6. Coal / Fracking: I don’t understand how voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois, West Virginia can even consider voting for Biden? You do realize that as soon as Biden/Harris takes office. Fracking, Coal Mining jobs are long gone You’re voting for your own unemployment in these states people. The Democrat Governors in these states know this. Sacrifice jobs of their citizens for a Biden Presidency.
7. Immediately end all deportations of illegal aliens, Bernie’s website calls it a “moratorium” on deportations.
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
8. Reparations for the race’s harmed by Caucasians. Biden & Kamala Harris committed to Al Sharpton to support Sheila Jackson Lee’s reparations bill in the House. Basically, a tax will be levied on all people of Caucasian descent in America. The funds distributed to African Americans. (you can’t make this stuff up)
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
9, De-fund & terminate border patrol & ICE. Funds redistributed to other programs.
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
10. The 2nd Amendment will be under attack even more under Biden. Biden stated, “Beto O’Rourke will be his gun Czar,” “Hel yeah I’m coming for your guns.”
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
11. Medicare for all: Ending of all private / employer-based health care Feds run everything. This is Kamala Harris’s baby. Kiss goodbye to your healthcare plan if Biden/Harris is elected. Taxpayer-funded at a cost of trillions.
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
12. Free college for all, including illegal aliens & non-citizens Bernie Sanders’s plan adopted. (taxpayer-funded with estimates in the billions).
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
13. Immediately decriminalize all illegal entry into our country. So no need for the Border Patrol.
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
14. Open Borders.
Democrats Yes.
Republicans No.
15. President Trump has stated repeatedly he will protect social security, medicare, and pre-existing conditions. His last rally in Swanton, he repeated this once again. This is a favorite scare tactic of the left.
The Democrats want to sell us that Biden is a “centrists.” Biden has been a liberal democrat his entire career. How else could he be Obamas VP? and why would he pick a socialist in Kamala Harris? Joe’s “centrist” policies include free health care for illegal aliens, trillions in taxes on the middle class, and once again, like his hero Obama, ship our jobs overseas and flooding our country with illegal aliens.
Palmer Tom
September 24, 2020 at 9:16 pm
Crying Socialism and telling people colored folks will invade their neighborhoods is teh the favorite scare tactic of Republicans. Their long game is to roll back the Great Society and the New Deal.
Now, regarding the content of the article you added your canned comments to, travel restrictions are un-American and it’s dishonest to pick and choose which countries Americans can visit. If were about authoritarian governments, there would be a travel ban for Russia and China.
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