Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), a potential presidential candidate in 2016, blasted President Obama Wednesday for promising to normalize relations with Cuba’s communist regime.
Rubio, whose family fled Cuba, slammed Obama as “the single-worst negotiator we’ve had in the White House in my lifetime” and promised to use whatever leverage he has in the 114th Congress to oppose an easing of trade and travel restrictions.
{mosads}“It is a victory for the repressive Cuban government and a serious setback for the repressed Cuban people,” he said. “The White House has conceded everything and gained little.”
Rubio said Obama did not win any commitment from Cuban President Raúl Castro during their nearly hour-long phone call to increase press freedoms, open up the Internet from censorship or allow competing political parties.
In exchange, Castro agreed to free 53 political prisoners, who would wind up back in jail once they again call for reforms, Rubio said.
Rubio argued that Obama fell prey to an “illusion” that granting Cuban people greater access to commerce, money and trade goods will translate to greater political freedom.
He predicted the policy changes would only strengthen Castro’s grip on power by improving economic conditions.
The Obama administration plans to ease travel and trade restrictions in the coming weeks through executive authority but Rubio pledged the Republican-controlled 114th Congress would not lift the broader embargo.
“This president has proven today that his foreign policy is more than just naive. It is willfully ignorant of the way the world truly works,” he said.
Rubio declined to answer questions about whether the development would have any impact on his own decision to run for president, citing what he called a desire to be respectful to the gravity of Obama’s announcement.