Trump revokes Biden Cuba SSOT removal on Inauguration Day

President Donald Trump revoked President Biden's January 14, 2025 presidential memorandum certifying the removal of Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list on his first day back in office, January 20, 2025. Biden had removed Cuba from the SSOT list as part of a Vatican-brokered deal in which Cuba agreed to release 553 political prisoners. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, sworn in on January 21, stated that Cuba met the criteria for SSOT designation and cited Cuba's support for Colombian guerrillas, ties to Hamas and Hezbollah, and hosting of Russian and Chinese intelligence facilities. Rubio also reinstated the Cuba Restricted List on January 31, 2025, after the State Department had briefly rescinded it on January 16.