President Obama confirmed on social media Thursday morning that he will go to Cuba in March, becoming the first sitting US head of state to visit the island nation since 1928.
“Next month, I’ll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people,” he said on Twitter.
“We still have differences with the Cuban government that I will raise directly,” he added, claiming that “America will always stand for human rights around the world.”
The president’s visit is planned for March 21-22. He will be accompanied by First Lady Michelle Obama.
Washington and Havana formally reestablished diplomatic ties fourteen months ago. Last August, Secretary of State John Kerry was dispatched to the island to preside over the reopening of the US embassy there. National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters during a briefing Wednesday that the White House sees the trip “as a means of pushing forward this normalization process.”
“He’ll be meeting with dissidents, members of civil society, including those that oppose the Cuban government’s policies,” Rhodes also noted.
He also boasted of “a number of steps forward” in the last year since the détente was announced, including a 54 percent increase in US travel to Cuba, growing internet access for Cuban citizens, and more business investments, including Airbnb contracting with individual Cuban homes to spur tourism.
Not everyone on Capitol Hill is pleased with the diplomatic trajectory. Rep. Ilens Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), a Cuban-American and former Chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, called the trip “absolutely shameful” in a statement. She claimed the US is now “embracing the oppressors” of the Cuban people.
GOP presidential hopefuls Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) also slammed the announcement. Cruz claimed President Obama would “act as an apologist” during the trip.
The administration said there are no plans currently for Obama to meet with the former Cuban leader, Fidel Castro.
Calvin Coolidge was the last US president to visit Cuba while in office. He arrived via battleship 88 years ago.
