Trump Reinstates Cuba on ‘Terrorism Sponsors’ List… Cuban President Responds

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On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump overturned a decision to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move announced just days earlier by his predecessor Joe Biden.

The decision, originally made by Joe Biden, aimed to encourage a Catholic Church initiative to secure the release of a “large number of Cuban political prisoners.”

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In a statement issued hours after Trump was sworn in for a second term, the White House said, “Trump reversed his predecessor’s decision regarding Cuba while signing a lengthy series of executive orders.”

Cuba’s Response

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned Donald Trump’s decision to reinstate his country on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, describing Trump’s actions as an “act of arrogance and disregard for the truth.”

On the platform “X,” Díaz-Canel wrote: “In an act of arrogance and disregard for the truth, President Trump has just reclassified Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. This comes as no surprise. His goal is to continue intensifying the harsh economic war against Cuba for the sake of domination.”

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In a separate post, he added: “The extreme economic blockade measures imposed by Trump have caused shortages among our people and a significant increase in migration from Cuba to the United States.”

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez also issued a scathing response to the decision, stating: “In a drunken arrogance, President Trump arbitrarily decided that Cuba supports terrorism. He knows his decision aims to escalate sanctions and the economic war against Cuban families. It will cause harm, but it won’t break our people’s steadfast resolve. We will prevail.”

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Background of the Decision

In January 2021, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, claiming at the time that Havana “supported acts of international terrorism by providing safe haven to terrorists.”

This decision followed Cuba’s refusal to hand over leaders of a Colombian guerrilla group who were in Havana for peace talks when a deadly bombing occurred in Colombia.

Cuba was one of four countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism, alongside North Korea, Iran, and Syria.

Cuban officials have repeatedly called for their country to be removed from this list, as it triggers severe economic sanctions on top of the ongoing U.S. embargo that has lasted six decades.

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