Signing a new National Security Presidential Memorandum, Trump announced stricter application of the rules under which Americans can travel to Cuba. Some people who oppose embargo welcomed the Trump measures.
But groups both here in the United States and the Cuban government expressed some reservations. "We will never, ever be blind to it", Trump said.
Sent to travel agents: "Today President Trump announced his administration's new policy changes for USA citizens traveling to Cuba, and we are pleased to inform you that we don't anticipate any changes to our Cuba itineraries".
Pressed by Sen. Tom Udall, a Democrat from New Mexico, about whether that could hamper development of private businesses in Cuba "if they give a single dime to the government", Tillerson responded: "Senator, I know you're not suggesting that we encourage private companies to violate the law, but it does require perhaps a more thorough discussion among the Congress and the executive [branch] over is that law still useful". In fact, President Trump negotiated an arms deal with prominent human rights abuser Saudi Arabia valued at $100 billion.
Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., said Trump's policy moves the US backward. He vowed to seek a "much better deal for the Cuban people and for the USA".
He tightens the rules for the sake of Americans who are willing to travel to Cuba.
Trump's speech evoked, instead, the Cold War thinking that dominated the USA government's stance toward Cuba for a half-century.
In a speech in Miami, Donald Trump denounced what he called Barack Obama's "terrible and misguided deal with the Castro regime".
While tourism to Cuba is banned by USA law, the Obama administration had been allowing people to travel to Cuba as part of "people to people" educational trips for visitors, a popular classification that a White House official said was "ripe for abuse" by those looking for beach vacations.
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While U.S. citizens are already barred from visiting for tourism, the Trump administration says its new policy "enhances travel restrictions" to more strictly audit Americans who travel to Cuba to ensure they comply with one of the 12 allowed categories of approved trips, including visiting relatives, educational or research purposes, and journalism. For an island located just 90 miles from Key West, the United States should play an influential role in Cuban political aspirations but has failed to because of the embargo, which more contained the regime than undermined it.
Obama eliminated the tour requirement, allowing Americans to travel to Cuba on individual "people-to-people" trips that were in reality indistinguishable from travel to any other country in the world.
Online lodging booker Airbnb was allowed into Cuba, and commercial flights between the US and Cuba resumed after more than half a century. The moves to be announced by Trump are only a partial reversal of Obama's policies, however.
The "wet foot, dry foot" policy, which once let most Cuban migrants stay if they made it to USA soil but was terminated under Obama, is to remain terminated.
KAHN: I think the short answer is that it's only been two years since these changes have been put in place.
The Cuban leader added that "the United States is not in a position to give us lessons", voicing "serious concerns" on the "numerous cases of murders, brutality and police abuses, the exploitation of child labour, racial discrimination and restrictions on healthcare services". USA airlines and cruise ships will still be allowed to serve the island.
Under Trump's directive, the departments of Treasury and Commerce will have 30 days to begin writing new travel and commercial regulations. "Putting America first means exporting what we produce to countries across the globe".
"I have trust in Trump to do the right thing when it comes to Cuba", said Jorge Saurez, 66, a retired physician in Little Havana.
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