Lt. Gov. Tina Smith Takes Trip To Havana, Cuba

Lt Governor Tina Smith. Courtesy of the Lt. Governor’s Office.

HAVANA (AP) — The lieutenant governor of Minnesota has become the first U.S. state official to make an official visit to Cuba since President Donald Trump announced the new U.S. policy toward the island.

Lt. Gov. Tina Smith and a group of state officials and representative of state agriculture groups on Tuesday made the first public stop on the five-day trip at government headquarters in Mayabeque, an agricultural province outside Havana.

Smith said the trip was designed to build relations in hopes of future Minnesota agricultural sales to Cuba. Such sales are still allowed under Trump’s policy, which bars many transactions with businesses linked to the Cuban military.