At a packed and raucous auditorium in Miami's Little Havana Friday, President Donald Trump announced his decision to reverse much of the Obama administration's relaxed diplomatic and travel policies with Cuba.
A closer look shows that the exact details of the Trump administration's changes haven't been completely hammered out and even when that happens, they're not expected to be all that different than the Obama policies. From what we do know, our embassy in Cuba will remain open, travel will still be generally allowed, and there will be no limits on items like those famous Cuban cigars and rum, that Americans can bring back from the nation.
But people who are focusing on the hard policy differences and the actual effects this move will have on the Cuban regime are missing the forest for the trees. President Trump's speech and rally were a perfect piece of political theater and messaging. And the event had a lot more to do with the Cuban-American vote in 2018 and 2020 than diplomacy.
The event was complete with emotional moments, including President Trump listing almost every one of the Castro regime's crimes, the names of the Castros' most famous victims, and he even invited a once-jailed Cuban female dissident to join him for a hug and to say a few words at the podium.
If your heart strings weren't already sufficiently pulled, then you could watch and listen to another former Cuban dissident who played the Star Spangled Banner on his violin as he once did as a child in Havana at great personal risk.
