The world has reacted to the death of Fidel Castro, offering their sympathies to his family and friends, but one world leader that was quick to give his two cents was Donald Trump. The president-elect took to his Twitter to offer his condolences, or rather announce Castro’s untimely demise:
Fidel Castro is dead!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2016
Perhaps he had the urge to announce Castro’s death as he is not a fan of the media or was still groggy from waking up, but he definitely made a statement that will be remembered. Trump’s telegraphing of the news comes after the media mogul had condemned President Obama for reopening relations with Cuba, saying he will repeal that decision until the Cuban people Make Cuba Great Again:
The people of Cuba have struggled too long. Will reverse Obama's Executive Orders and concessions towards Cuba until freedoms are restored.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 12, 2016
Obama, on the other hand, offered a prepared statement discussing the U.S. and Cuba’s often hostile relationship, but also offering sympathies to the Castro family. Some thought Trump could have spent a little extra time crafting a tweet, instead of jumping the gun, but that doesn’t appear to be how Trump rolls. Others poked some fun at him saying he didn’t have to be first in announcing the former Cuban president’s death:
Hot take bro https://t.co/Fd59f9sHj0
— Ike Barinholtz (@ikebarinholtz) November 26, 2016
.@realDonaldTrump This is not even how Twitter works
— Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) November 26, 2016
huge if true
— TechnicallyRon (On all the platforms) (@TechnicallyRon) November 26, 2016
regardless of your stance, it's in poor taste to revel in the death of another person.
— Mark Bland (@markbland) November 26, 2016
Did you just wake up?
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) November 26, 2016
https://twitter.com/mcbridetd/status/802501317210030080
https://twitter.com/joelycett/status/802510636341166080
lol man good presidential tweet there
— Jay K Cagatay (@jayktweets) November 26, 2016
You can’t fault the president-elect for his response as he may not have watched the morning news and been informed that everyone was aware the former Cuban president had passed away. But Trump and his team appeared to reconvene and offer a more detailed response to Castro’s death. The president-elect didn’t mince words with his fiery response, calling Castro a “brutal dictator” and saying he will help the Cuban people:
Today, the world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades. Fidel Castro’s legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights…While Cuba remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve. Though the tragedies, deaths and pain caused by Fidel Castro cannot be erased, our administration will do all it can to ensure the Cuban people can finally begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty.
It’s a stark contrast from his earlier comments directed at Obama, but perhaps winning the presidential election has Trump thinking long term.