Trump's U.S.-Cuba policy changes not coming yet, expert says

Political analyst says Cuban government isn't worried about Trump

HAVANA, Cuba – President Donald Trump promised Cuban exiles in Miami that he would roll back President Barack Obama's opening of diplomatic relations with Cuba. And Cuban President Raul Castro announced earlier this year that the island will have a new president in February. 

U.S. companies and tourists have made an impact on the island since December 2014 when the Cold-War adversaries began to set up bilateral agreements. Trump was reviewing the policy and the Cuban government was not expecting any drastic changes. 

"I think in Cuba nobody is losing their sleep," Cuban political analyst Carlos Alzugaray said. 

Alzugaray believes Cuba is the least of Trump's worries when it comes to international issues. In about nine months, the island will have a new president who will also be looking at the U.S.-Cuba bilateral agreements, Alzugaray said. 

"It's a brand new game," Alzugaray said. "Nobody knows exactly how that brand new game is going to play."

In South Florida, Trump listened to Cuban-American Republicans who are critical of Castro and stand firm on their strategy that isolating the island will weaken the Castro regime and discourage human rights abuses. Trump promised a "better deal," but did not say he was going to push for isolation. 

During a recent press conference in Washington, Acting Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, Francisco Palmieri, said Trump's new policy will have "important differences" and will prioritize "progress toward greater respect for human rights in the country."

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart are among the lawmakers who stay faithful to the Cuban exiled community's support of the U.S. embargo. They saw progress when U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley's inclusion of Cuba as a country where "human rights are widely disregarded." 

"Trump pledged changes to Cuba policy," Rubio recently wrote on Twitter. "I remain confident that he will keep that promise."

Companies like Airbnb, Sheraton Four Points and Google continue to face difficulties with their Cuban partners because of the U.S. embargo's limitations. Nonetheless, the growing private sector could feel the impact of the policy if it goes beyond a symbolic posture and affects the increased flow of U.S. tourists. 

Local 10 News Andrea Torres contributed to this story from Miami. 


About the Author:

In January 2017, Hatzel Vela became the first local television journalist in the country to move to Cuba and cover the island from the inside. During his time living and working in Cuba, he covered some of the most significant stories in a post-Fidel Castro Cuba.