Even before the death of Cuba's longtime leader Fidel Castro Friday night, President-elect Donald Trump was threatening to rescind President Barack Obama's efforts to restore relations with the island nation, but experts are saying that he may not be able to roll back many of the changes that have already met with support.
Early Saturday morning, Trump's response to the deatf the dictator that had held power in Cuba for more than a half-century involved just a four-word sentence on Twitter: "Fidel Castro is dead!"
Trump later in the morning expanded on his original statement, however, saying Castro left behind a legacy of "firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty, and the denial of fundamental human rights, The New York Times' Maggie Haberman tweeted:
President Barack Obama, though, on Saturday offered condolences to Castro's family and to Cuba.
Obama also pointed out his administration has "worked hard to put the past behind us, pursuing a future in which the relationship between our two countries is defined not by our differences but by the many things that we share as neighbors and friends -- bonds of family, culture, commerce, and common humanity."
Trump's statement echoed the hard-line stance he took on the Castro regime over the past year, with his stance getting tougher as the campaign year progressed.
In September 2015, Trump said he thought that it was "fine" to open up Cuba, reports The Hill, even though he thought the Obama administration should have held out for a better deal.
But just over a year later, Trump took a tougher stance while campaigning in Florida, home to many Cuban exiles.
"All of the concessions that Barack Obama has granted the Castro regime were done with executive order, which means the next president can reverse them. And that is what I will do unless the Castro regime meets our demands," Trump said then.
Trump's campaign team has not yet said if he intends to go through with plans to rescind Obama's executive orders on Cuba, and he has not mentioned the matter while talking about his plans for his first 100 days in the White House.
However, notes The Hill, major U.S. airlines have already opened flights to Cuba, while hotels and other businesses are already popping up.
Obama's orders not only resumed air service between the United States and Cuba, but also reopened embassies while removing Cuba from a list of state terror sponsors.
But while flights have resumed, tourism to Cuba is still banned and travel is only allowed for family visits, federal government business, and other official purposes.
Florida Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart said recently he expects Trump will rescind Obama's policies on Cuba, and has complained that allowing travel to the country will enrich Castro's government, which has been under the leadership of Castro's younger brother, Raul, for several years.
Diaz-Balart said it's easy to travel to Cuba as a tourist, as "you just literally have to check off a box" stating other reasons for traveling.
It would be easy for Trump to stop the commercial flights, John S. Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, commented, as Obama's deal was a non-binding agreement rather than a treaty.
However, there could be pushback from the airline industry or other commercial interests, who could claim to have invested funds based on "good faith efforts."
Trump could also face some backlash from Republicans who agree tourism travel should be allowed to Cuba, with the Senate Appropriations Committee adopting an amendment to a fiscal 2017 spending bill.
Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, and Jerry Moran, R-Kansas have sponsored a stand-alone measure in hopes of lifting Cuban travel restrictions. The Senate bill has 51 co-sponsors, while a companion bill in the House has 130.
Other lawmakers, including Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, oppose such measures, however. Both of Rubio's parents, along with Cruz' father, came to the United States from the Communist nation.