Last Updated on September 24, 2020, 7:08 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Americans would not be allowed to bring home cigars and rum from Cuba under the new measures announced by President Donald Trump on Wednesday to starve the Cuban government financially.
This step has been taken as the American President tries to boost his appeal among the Cuban-Americans, which is a crucial voting bloc in the state of Florida.
The action came as the Republican President reaffirmed the ironclad solidarity of his administration with the Cuban people, whose descendants in the United States often vote for the GOP. The step also comes as Trump is considering a Cuban American from Florida for a seat on the United States Supreme Court.
At a White House ceremony recognizing around two dozen veterans of the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, Trump said that the US travellers would also be prohibited from staying at the hotels and other properties which are owned by the Cuban government.
Trump said the new steps announced by the Treasury Department would ensure that US dollars do not fund the Cuban government, but go directly to the everyday Cubans.
The President said that he reaffirms his administration’s ironclad solidarity with the Cuban people and his administration’s eternal conviction that freedom would prevail over the sinister forces of communism and evil in many different forms.
The new restrictions are the latest in the efforts of the Trump administration of reinstating an economic blockade of Cuba and reversing the strategy of restoring diplomatic relations with the island, the policy which was pursued by former President Barack Obama’s administration.
Cuban-Americans are an essential bloc in Florida, which is a state critical to reelection prospects of Trump.
Republicans have dominated with these voters since a long time, who are also known for a collective dislike of President John F. Kennedy, because of the Bay of Pigs invasion. The mission had failed to meet its goal of toppling the communist government of Cuba’s Fidel Castro.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
