Trump is tightening the screws on Cuba once again. In a newly released White House memo, Trump ordered top Cabinet officials to reinstate restrictions rolled back by former President Joe Biden,.
The new directive gives departments 30 days to update federal regulations, cutting back on U.S. tourism and financial activity in Cuba. That means less American travel to the island and fewer financial transactions that could end up supporting the Cuban government or military. Trump made it clear: the goal is to isolate Cuba’s leadership and strengthen ties with the Cuban people instead.
Trump’s administration framed the move as a course correction after what they call Biden’s “gutting” of previous sanctions.
The memo outlines Trump’s foreign policy vision, including a crackdown on tourism loopholes, restrictions on businesses that work with Cuban government entities, and a clear stance against international efforts to lift the longstanding U.S. embargo. In Trump’s words, these steps are necessary to “channel funds toward the Cuban people and away from a regime that has failed to meet the most basic requirements of a free and just society.”
Trump’s return to hardline Cuba policy comes just after Biden, during his final week in office, removed the country from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism — a reversal of one of Trump’s major foreign policy actions from his first term.
In the memo, Trump also gave marching orders to the Secretaries of State, Treasury, Commerce, pand Transportation, directing them to enforce the new restrictions across the board. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime Cuban-American political figure, is expected to play a major role in shaping the next wave of sanctions.
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