President Biden's last-minute unilateral move on Tuesday to lift sanctions on Cuba and delist the socialist country as a terrorist sponsor has enraged already disgruntled Florida Democrats.
Why it matters: Biden's order will be reversed virtually as soon as Donald Trump takes over on Monday, so it will have minimal practical impact. However, Florida Democrats are concerned that Biden's action could allow Trump to portray their party as socialist-leaning.
In Florida, where Hispanics account for 19% of the vote, the topic of "socialism" turns off many people with roots in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Colombia, from which many have fled to fear leftist violence or regimes.
What they're saying: "Joe Biden is absolutely sinking the Democratic Party of Florida. "Big time," said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a moderate Florida Democrat, adding that South Florida congressional delegation members agree.
"Just as we try to patch the hole in the boat, Biden punches another hole in it," he told us. "Florida is a red state, and Biden just waved the white flag of surrender."
Conservative Hispanics have helped catapult Republicans to power in Florida, which Trump won with almost 55% of the vote last November.
Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, stated in a statement that she was "disappointed" with Biden's choice. A source who spoke with her stated that she was "blindsided" and "enraged."
Zoom in: Biden's order came on the eve of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's first confirmation hearing for secretary of state on Wednesday.
Rubio, a Cuban-American and anti-Marxist hardliner, helped draft Trump's Cuba restrictions in 2017. They're intended to prevent US funds from subsidizing Cuba's military apparatus, GAESA, which oversees the country's major hotels and tourism business.
A Biden spokesperson described the date of the directive and Rubio's confirmation hearing as "a coincidence."
Biden's team stated that his decree was part of an agreement negotiated by the Catholic Church in exchange for Cuba agreeing to release 553 detainees.
The other side: Trump's team does not believe the White House's explanation and claims that the departing president's action has made Cuba a top priority for the next Trump administration.
"The Biden administration might see this as a 'F You' to Rubio, but we'll get the last laugh," said Mauricio Claver-Carone, a Rubio supporter and Trump's incoming envoy to Latin America.
Claver-Carone believes Trump's administration would not only re-impose the sanctions, but will make them "bigger and harder, with broader effects than the last time."
Between the lines: Rubio, Claver-Carone, and Trump's incoming national security adviser, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), all believe Cuba serves as the Marxist human resources department for anti-US governments in Latin America.
In Venezuela, for example, Cuban intelligence agencies have assisted dictator Nicolas Maduro in retaining power.
Florida leaned heavily for Republicans during Trump's unsuccessful reelection campaign in 2020, when he highlighted an anti-socialist stance.
That was especially effective in Miami-Dade County, the state's largest county, which was previously a Democratic stronghold and has the highest percentage of Hispanic voters.
Trump won Miami-Dade by 11 percentage points in 2024. He lost his first race eight years ago by over 30 points.
After Biden lost Florida to Trump in 2020, the Democratic Party's political organization began to consider it a red state and diverted donor funds to other political activities.
The fallout: Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat, said in a statement following Biden's order that the United States must "hold the Cuban regime accountable." Other Florida Democrats were harsher.
Former state Sen. Annette Taddeo described Biden's decision as a "slap in the face... to the broader diaspora community in Miami-Dade and across our nation that have sadly been forced to flee dictatorship and violence."
According to political strategist Christian Ulvert, Biden's staff "delivered a master class of what not to do," and should have focused on "securing the release of 500 political prisoners in the final week of his presidency."
"The timing of this is a Harvard textbook case of political malpractice by Biden," said John Kavulich, head of the US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a nonpartisan business organization.
"When you know the new government has Marco Rubio, Mauricio Claver-Carone, and Florida Cuban-American nominees for ambassadorships to Spain, Argentina, and Panama, you don't get them worked up. "You keep it quiet."
On the other side, critics of US policy in Cuba argue that six decades of sanctions have failed since the island's government is still led by Marxists. They praise former President Obama for attempting to improve relations and believe Biden should be recognized for his efforts to rescue inmates.