奥巴马、特朗普对于菲德尔·卡斯特罗的死亡的反应

Obama, Trump¹ React Very Differently to Death of Fidel Castro 奥巴马、特朗普对于菲德尔·卡斯特罗的死亡的反应

The death of former Cuban President Fidel Castro has produced a mix of reactions in the United States.

The death confirms sharp differences in the thinking of President Barack Obama and his replacement³, President-elect Donald Trump.

It has also led to discussions about how the U.S. government will deal with Cuba when Trump becomes president in January.

President Obama considers reestablishing ties with Cuba after more than 50 years of tensions one of his greatest foreign policy successes. Obama, who visited the country in March, became the first sitting U.S. president to do so since 1928.

Obama told the Cuban people: “I have come here to bury the last remnants of the Cold War in the Americas.”

In September 2015, Trump supported Obama’s decision to open up relations with Cuba. “I think it's fine,” he told The Daily Caller website. “We should have made a better deal (but) the concept of opening with Cuba -- 50 years is enough.”

However, during the election campaign, Trump began to strongly criticize the decision to normalize relations. Now, he is almost always critical of the move.

In a statement released soon after Castro’s death last Friday, Obama said: “History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and the world around him.” He added that the United States offers “a hand of friendship to the Cuban people.”

Some U.S. lawmakers immediately criticized the statement. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, called it “pathetic.” He noted⁴ that the statement did not talk about the thousands of people Castro killed and imprisoned⁵. Rubio’s parents lived in Cuba, and moved to the United States in the 1950s.

Another Republican, Texas Senator Ted² Cruz, told ABC News that he hopes “we don’t see any U.S. government officials going to Fidel Castro’s funeral.” Cruz’s father was born in Cuba and now, like Rubio’s parents, is a Cuban-American.

Trump released a statement after Castro’s death. He called the former leader “a brutal⁶ dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades.” He blamed Castro for “firing squads⁸, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty, and the denial of fundamental human rights.”

Trump promised that, as president, he will do all he can “to ensure the Cuban people can finally begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty.”

It is not known how relations between the two countries will change when Trump takes office. Kellyanne Conway is a top aide to the president-elect. She told ABC News that Trump will demand that Cuba make changes.

Conway said the release of political prisoners would have an important effect on relations. She also said the president-elect is “absolutely” willing to change the Obama policy on Cuba.

Some lawmakers hope Castro’s death will lead to improved relations between the two countries. Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and some Republicans support a bill that would end the 50-year-old ban on U.S. trade with Cuba.

Words in This Story

sitting - adj. In this context, sitting means currently having a political office or job

remnant - n. the part of something that is left when the other parts are gone

concept - n. an idea of what something is or how it works

enormous - adj. very great in size or amount

singular - adj. better or greater than what is usual or normal

pathetic - adj. very bad, poor, weak, etc.

funeral - n. a ceremony held for a dead person

firing squad⁷ - n. a group of soldiers whose job is to shoot a prisoner who has been sentenced to death

prosperity - n. the state of being successful -- usually by making a lot of money

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

3 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

6 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

7 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

8 squads   

n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍

参考例句：

• Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
• Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句