Trump’s Eraser and Obama’s Pen

The world as we know it has grown accustomed to a certain type of president who engages in campaigns against presidents from other parties; they walk behind their predecessors carrying an eraser to erase or adjust what has been accomplished so far. Trump might be one of them. He is following Obama’s path with an eraser, and sometimes with a knife. Trump’s eraser has passed over many of Obama’s accomplishments including health insurance, nuclear talks with Iran and lately, the stance on Cuba, which was first tackled by American diplomats a few decades ago. The phobia from the Bay of Pigs might have rekindled memories of some Cubans who are well over 70 years old. Trump’s erasing of every previous step taken by Obama could be nothing but spite to remind Americans about the heated election Trump endured against his opponent, Hillary Clinton, during the last presidential election.

It is not unlikely that this kind of interpretation suffers from an array of illusions and projections because it is impossible that the job of the new president of the United States and his administration is solely dependent upon going in the reverse direction of his predecessor. American interests change and so does the political compass. There are no absolute constants in this policy, as today’s ally might become tomorrow’s enemy, and vice versa.

What is interesting is the dichotomy of positions between a Democratic president who stayed in the White House for two terms and a Republican whose highly problematic slogans still raise controversy. It is sometimes difficult to predict what will come out of Trump, or his position on local or international issues; he is, as the media describes him, a man full of surprises!

His stance on Cuba, after his predecessor opened the doors to Havana and after the departure of America’s ideological and historical rival, raises questions about what Trump is contemplating for Latin America, not just Cuba. Is he keeping this hot continent in the background? Or is it possible that whatever Obama achieved to normalize relations with Havana never truly ended this Latin drama? The United States doesn’t accept friendly relationships with others, and due to an excess of power, the U.S. believes that it is the hand that rocks the cradle!