--- description: Trump said Cuban President Raul Castro has "no respect" for Obama, Cruz said Obama doesn't respect political prisoners title: Republicans Slam President Obama's Historic Cuba Trip image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6e80af95945397a/69888bc7a988ca70bc6b711c/516508200.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2016 Election](/tag/2016-election/) ## 2016 Election Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Republicans Slam President Obama's Historic Cuba Trip by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 21, 2016 2:36 PM CUT  A man walks next to a banner with the faces of Barack Obama and Raul Castro as Cuba prepares for the visit of U.S. president Barack Obama on March 19, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. Obama's visit on March 20 - 22 will be the first in 90 years for a sitting American president. Mastrafoto/CON—LatinContent/Getty Images A man walks next to a banner with the faces of Barack Obama and Raul Castro as Cuba prepares for the visit of U.S. president Barack Obama on March 19, 2016 in Havana, Cuba. Obama's visit on March 20 - 22 will be the first in 90 years for a sitting American president. Mastrafoto/CON—LatinContent/Getty ImagesMastrafoto/CON—LatinContent/Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 21, 2016 2:36 PM CUT Republican presidential candidates [Donald Trump](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/711653804983361536 "undefined") and [Ted Cruz](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/obama-cuba-visit-ted-cruz-213749 "undefined") are dismissing [President Obama’s historic trip to Cuba](http://time.com/4265383/barack-obama-cuba-visit/ "undefined") as misguided foreign policy. Trump tweeted that Cuban President Raul Castro had “no respect” for the President and First Family because he did not greet them when Air Force One landed on the island on Sunday afternoon. “Wow, President Obama just landed in Cuba, a big deal, and Raul Castro wasn’t even there to greet him,” Trump wrote. “He greeted Pope and others. No respect.” Cruz wrote penned [a highly critical op-ed for ](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/obama-cuba-visit-ted-cruz-213749 "undefined")[_Politico_](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/obama-cuba-visit-ted-cruz-213749 "undefined")_,_ suggesting the President is visiting Cuba to “hang out with Raul Castro and his henchmen.” “Meanwhile, political prisoners languishing in dungeons across the island will hear this message: Nobody has your back. You’re alone with your tormentors. The world has forgotten about you,” Cruz wrote. Obama landed on the island on Sunday for the two-day journey, during which he’ll meet with both Castro and political dissidents. Republicans in Congress have also been critical of the President’s decision to travel to Cuba, where the government keeps a tight lid on political dissent. The White House says the trip will help the U.S. and Cuba chart a new course after years without formal diplomatic relations. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4265768/president-obama-cuba-trip-republicans/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4265768/president-obama-cuba-trip-republicans/"},"headline":"Republicans Slam President Obama's Historic Cuba Trip","datePublished":"2016-03-21T14:36:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T16:03:51.493Z","description":"Donald Trump says Raul Castro has \"no respect\" for Obama","url":"https://time.com/4265768/president-obama-cuba-trip-republicans/","keywords":["2016 Election","republicans","2016 Election topic","Barack Obama","White House","ted cruz","Donald Trump","2016 Republicans"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6e80af95945397a/69888bc7a988ca70bc6b711c/516508200.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte6e80af95945397a/69888bc7a988ca70bc6b711c/516508200.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Cuba Prepares For The Visit Of Barack Obama","caption":"Cuba Prepares For The Visit Of Barack Obama","creditText":"Mastrafoto/CON—LatinContent/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4265768/president-obama-cuba-trip-republicans/","name":"Republicans Slam President Obama's Historic Cuba Trip"}}]}] ```