"Playing a Card": How Trump Used Cuba to Gain Points in Florida

[Judi Lynn]

ED AUGUSTIN | OCTOBER 9, 2020 | 9:48AM

Who would you rather see in the White House?

That's the question I asked Cubans in December 2015 when probing their opinions on the Republican presidential nominees for a documentary I was working on.

"If I had a choice, I would choose Donald Trump," a young Cuban woman shopping in downtown Havana told me.

"He knows that Cuba is a virgin market," added another lady walking by.

"He would be very interested in investing here, so I don't think he would undo everything," said a man in a baseball cap.

Those interviews are featured in The War on Cuba, a documentary series released today by Belly of the Beast, a media startup covering Cuba and U.S.-Cuban relations.

After four years of grueling sanctions the Trump administration has imposed on Cubans, the Havana residents we interviewed sound naive, even quaint, today. But they can be forgiven for having been overly optimistic: They spoke at a time of great hope, while the buzz and excitement of normalization of relations between the U.S. and Cuba was in the air.

Five years ago, friendlier relations seemed here to stay. Even Trump — back then just a larger-than-life real estate mogul — agreed that "the concept of opening with Cuba is fine."

More:
https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/how-miamis-cuban-americans-shaped-trumps-cuba-policy-11704162