Obama Photographed With Che Guevara In Background, Right-Wing Media Freak Out

Flashback: Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, And Richard Nixon Have All Been Photographed In Front Of Communist Leaders

Written by Cristiano Lima

Published

Right-wing media rushed to attack President Obama over a photograph from his trip to Cuba in which he appears in Havana's Plaza de la Revolución, with a mural of Che Guevara visible in the background -- apparently forgetting that Republican Presidents Nixon, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush have all been photographed in front of images of communist leaders while on trips abroad.

Obama Visits Cuba To Meet With President Castro Beginning “U.S.-Cuba Thaw”

Obama Visits Cuba To Meet With President Castro For First Official Talks. President Obama met with Cuban President Raúl Castro on March 21, appearing “at a welcoming ceremony to start the first official talks between their two governments after decades of Cold War animosity.” According to a New York Times' report, the two leaders will “discuss a path toward normalizing relations” between the U.S. and Cuba:

President Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba appeared together on Monday morning, walking side by side at a welcoming ceremony to start the first official talks between their two governments after decades of Cold War animosity.

The leaders are expected to discuss a path toward normalizing relations, and the profound differences that still divide them economically and politically, including the United States trade embargo on Cuba and human rights issues.

During the welcoming ceremony at the Palace of the Revolution, the two leaders shook hands warmly before inspecting a military honor guard. [The New York Times, 3/21/16]

Right-Wing Media Attack Obama For Being Photographed With A Mural Of Revolutionary Che Guevara In The Background

Drudge Report On Obama Picture: “Mission Accomplished.”

[Drudge Report, 3/21/16]

Ben Shapiro: “Mr. President, You're A Disgrace.”

[Twitter.com, 3/21/16]

Media Research Center's Dan Gainor: Picture Of Obama In Front Of Guevara Mural Describes The “Obama Presidency In One Photo.”

[Twitter.com, 3/21/16]

Washington Examiner's T. Becket Adams: Obama's Picture In Front Of Guevara Mural Is “A Good Photo To Have As You Close Out Your Presidency.”

[Twitter.com, 3/21/16]

Numerous Former Republican Presidents Have Been Photographed In Front Of Images Of Communist Leaders

President Ronald Reagan Posed In Front Of A Vladimir Lenin Statue. President Ronald Reagan traveled to the Soviet Union in Moscow in May 1988. According to The Reagan Foundation, “Beneath a statue of Lenin, he became the first American president to speak directly to the Soviet people” on May 31, 1988:

[Twitter.com, 3/21/16; The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Library, accessed 3/21/16]

President George W. Bush Was Photographed In Front Of A Picture Of Communist Revolutionary Ho Chi Minh. President George W. Bush traveled to Vietnam to meet with President Nguyen Minh Triet at the Great Hall of the Presidential Palace on November 17, 2006, according to White House archives:

[White House Archives, accessed 3/21/16; CBS News, accessed 3/21/16]

President George H. W. Bush Was Photographed In Front Of A Mao Tse-tung Picture. President George H.W. Bush traveled to China from February 25-27, 1989, to meet with then-President Yang Shangkun and Prime Minister Li Peng, according to the State Department's presidential travel records:

[China.org, 6/30/11; U.S. Department of State, Travels of President George H.W. Bush, accessed 3/21/16]

President Nixon Was Also Photographed In Front Of A Mao Tse-tung Picture. President Richard Nixon traveled to China February 21-28, 1972, to meet with Chairman Mao Tse-tung and Premier Chou En-lai according to the State Department's presidential travel records:

[NPR.org, 1/1/14; U.S. Department of State, Travels of President Richard Nixon, accessed 3/21/16]