On Monday, his first day as the nation's 47th president, Donald Trump reversed an executive order issued by former President Biden that moved to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Biden formally notified Congress just last week of his decision to lift the designation as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island.
The day after the announcement, Cuba began releasing people who were convicted of various crimes, including some who were arrested after taking part in the historic 2021 protests, according to Cuban civil groups following the cases of detainees on the island. As many as 553 prisoners were set to be released. Last Thursday, Cuba announced it had released prominent dissident José Daniel Ferrer from prison.
DAY ONE: President Trump is undoing Joe Biden’s dangerous, weak appeasement policies by reinstating Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) January 21, 2025
The Communist Cuban regime fuels terrorism, hosts a Chinese spy station miles from our coast, and is a destabilizing force in the Western… https://t.co/nsBMYsasby
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, applauded Trump's decision as the "right move."
"DAY ONE: President Trump is undoing Joe Biden’s dangerous, weak appeasement policies by reinstating Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism," Scott posted on social media. "The Communist Cuban regime fuels terrorism, hosts a Chinese spy station miles from our coast, and is a destabilizing force in the Western Hemisphere with an evil, power-hungry dictator. This is the right move."
WLRN News Staff contributed to this story.