Republicans Mike Pence and Marco Rubio also critical of Fidel.
Americans have elected an irrational president to take charge of the White House in January and given that Donald Trump is worse than an illiterate when it comes to the understanding of international politics his comment about the Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro doesn’t surprise many.
Castro, who passed away on Friday is being hailed by many as the man who prevented the US from dictating terms to Cuba and a man who withstood over 600 assassination attempts funded by the CIA.
Despite the long history of confrontation, the United States and Cuba lately have been trying to mend the walls, and Obama moved aggressively to restore relations with Cuba by making a visit, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.
But now, the hope seems to have blurred in this front as the president-elect Donald Trump condemned the former Cuban president on the day when millions mourned the death of their revered leader.
The first reaction of the president-elect came in the form of a tweet which is hard to decipher in terms of the emotion conveyed. Trump tweeted: “Fidel Castro is dead!” and many sensed that the republican president-elect is sharing a sense of joy rather than grief.
Fidel Castro is dead!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2016
The tyrant #Castro is dead. New hope dawns. We will stand with the oppressed Cuban people for a free and democratic Cuba. Viva Cuba Libre!
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) November 26, 2016
The confusion surrounding this cleared soon after Trump came out with an official statement that read “Today, the world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades.”
“Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights,” he further added.
Trump’s contempt for the revolutionary was contrasting to the statement released by a somber president Obama who said “At this time of Fidel Castro’s passing, we extend a hand of friendship to the Cuban people,” said Obama.
“We know that this moment fills Cubans – in Cuba and in the United States – with powerful emotions, recalling the countless ways in which Fidel Castro altered the course of individual lives, families, and of the Cuban nation.
“History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure in the people and world around him.”
“For nearly six decades, the relationship between the United States and Cuba was marked by discord and profound political disagreements,” he continued.
“During my presidency, we have worked hard to put the past behind us, pursuing a future in which the relationship between our two countries is defined not by our differences but by the many things that we share as neighbors and friends – bonds of family, culture, commerce, and common humanity.
“This engagement includes the contributions of Cuban Americans, who have done so much for our country and who care deeply about their loved ones in Cuba.”
Even the visit of the US President Obama was seen by Fidel Castro with suspicion. A day after the US lifted the travel ban imposed against Cuba, Castro in a column reminded the Cubans of the Bay of Pigs invasion attempt orchestrated by the CIA.
All this said, the attempts made by the Obama administration to mend the relationship with Cuba might end without results as Trump, who echoed a sadistic sentiment on the death of Castro might not allow the relationship to foster further. The analysts also see a possibility of the Trump administration scrutinizing or even repealing the decision of the Obama administration to when Trump takes office on 20 January.
Trump statement said, “While Cuba remains a totalitarian island it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve.”
He also said, “Though the tragedies, deaths, and pain caused by Fidel Castro cannot be erased, our administration will do all it can to ensure the Cuban people can finally begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty.”
In the meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate from Florida, Senator Marco Rubio, who is a Cuban-American said in a statement: “Fidel Castro seized power promising to bring freedom and prosperity to Cuba, but his communist regime turned it into an impoverished island prison.”
He added: “Over six decades, millions of Cubans were forced to flee their own country, and those accused of opposing the regime were routinely jailed and even killed.
“Sadly, Fidel Castro’s death does not mean freedom for the Cuban people or justice for the democratic activists, religious leaders, and political opponents he and his brother have jailed and persecuted. The dictator has died, but the dictatorship has not.
“And one thing is clear, history will not absolve Fidel Castro; it will remember him as an evil, murderous dictator who inflicted misery and suffering on his own people.
“The future of Cuba ultimately remains in the hands of the Cuban people, and now more than ever Congress and the new administration must stand with them against their brutal rulers and support their struggle for freedom and basic human rights.”
Rubio was also critical about the statements of Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling it “pathetic”.
Castro retired from active politics in 2008 and handed over the presidency of Cuba to his brother Raul Castro. On April 19, 2011, Castro resigned from the Communist Party central committee. Castro passed away at the age of 90 and his death was announced by brother Raul Castro through the Cuban state TV on Friday. The cause of death was not released.