Cuba-US: Colorado governor sees government desire to work with Trump

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.
Foto:REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

The governor of Colorado said on Sunday he believes the Cuban government wants to further improve relations with the United States under President Donald Trump, as he wrapped up a three-day visit to the island nation.

“They seemed eager for the chance to build a relationship with President Trump and have it be a constructive one,” Governor John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said of his meeting with Cuba’s point person for U.S. relations, Josefina Vidal.

He said in an interview that Vidal, director of U.S. affairs at the Cuban foreign ministry, and other foreign ministry officials “were cautiously optimistic."

"They realize they have to wait and that the new administration has a lot of things going on. They understand things could change in some ways, but I didn’t sense there was any fear or some sort of depression," the governor said.

Hickenlooper, who traveled with a cultural and business delegation, was the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to meet with Vidal since Trump assumed office last month. Trump has said he wanted a better deal than that brokered by his predecessor, Barack Obama.

On Friday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said a “full review” of America’s foreign policy toward Cuba was underway.

The Colorado governor said the purpose of his trip was to view post-Fidel Castro Cuba and invite the country to his state’s Biennial of the Americas, which brings together the cultures, businesses and ideas of North and South America.

Hickenlooper said the Cubans had enthusiastically accepted the invitation to attend the event in September.

Abstract REUTERS