FARC rebels were at the match

UPDATE II: FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of the Colombian People’s Army) is a Colombian Marxist rebel group involved in drug trafficking, among other activities. Secretary of State John Kerry was scheduled meeting with FARC and Colombian government officials in Havana during President Obama’s visit to Cuba to facilitate a peaceful resolution to the armed conflict that began in Colombia in the 1960s.

As Belgium struggles with a devastating terrorist attack recently claimed by the Islamic State, President Obama’s planned presence at a baseball game in Cuba it is apparently still ongoing, according to the White House schedule. The game will feature the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team (via CNN):

“Sports is the conquest of the revolution,” reads the sign overlooking Havana’s Estadio Latinoamericano, the island’s main stadium and sacred ground for Cuban baseball fans.

There are no beer ads or Nike banners in the stadium, no ads for anything but the Cuban Revolution. Tickets are just 15 cents. There are no beer sales either. Instead, fans drink sweet cafecitos and smoke Cuban cigars.

This almost skeletal stadium will be the site of one of the most anticipated events during President Barack Obama’s historic visit: a baseball game between the Cuban national team and the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

“Play!” Obama tweeted after Major League Baseball announced he would attend the game.

Of course, the GOP presidential candidates were not joyful about Obama traveling to baseball games “with the Castro family” instead of returning home or going to Brussels to address the situation (via Daily mail):

All three Republican presidential candidates this morning condemned the president’s actions.

“President Obama spends time going to baseball games with the Castro family,” said Senator Ted Cruz, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, according to ABC News’ Rick Klein.

Cruz, who is half Cuban, had previously voiced opposition to the Obama family’s historic trip to Cuba this week, but the fact that the president’s schedule would remain unaffected by the attacks was just salt in the wound.

Ohio Governor John Kasich, also running for president, soon joined the action with a similar demand.

“The president must immediately return to the country and, together with our allies, take up a decisive fight against the enemies of the West,” Kasich wrote.

Not to be outdone, Republican Party frontrunner Donald Trump was quick to speak out.

“President Obama looks and sounds so ridiculous giving a speech in Cuba, especially in the shadow of Brussels. He is being treated badly!” Donald tweeted.

President I called The Belgian Prime Minister offered his condolences and support for the horrific attack, and also made remarks about the incident during a press conference today. However, as Cortney noted, he did not mention radical Islam.

President Obama spoke by telephone today with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel to express his condolences on behalf of the American people following today’s horrific terrorist attacks in Brussels. The President reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering support for Belgium and offered all necessary assistance to investigate these attacks and bring those responsible to justice. The President reiterated that the United States stands with the people of Belgium, as well as with NATO and the European Union, and he once again pledged the United States’ full cooperation and support in our shared commitment to defeat the scourge of terrorism.

It’s not the first time the president has stepped into action after a terrorist incident. After journalist James Foley was beheaded by ISIS in the summer of 2014, Obama gave a speech condemning the violence while vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard. Shortly after leaving the podium, he went golfing, which the optics were terrible for this White House – the president’s point He admitted in the following weeks:

It’s always a challenge when you’re supposed to be on vacation,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “There’s no doubt that after talking to the families, when I could hardly hold back the tears, listening to the pain that they were going through, after I made that statement, you know, I should have anticipated this turn of events.”

“You know, it’s part of the job,” he added, admitting that he doesn’t always cope well with the “theater” of the presidency.

“It’s not something that always comes naturally to me,” he said. “But it matters. And I’m aware of that.”