In Historic Visit to Cuba, Obama Seeks to Improve Relations, Bring Change

President Obama arrived Sunday in Cuba, kicking off a historic visit aimed at distancing the contentious past between the United States and its Caribbean neighbor and further building on the successes of newly restored diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Obama, traveling with first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Sasha and Malia, is the first American president to visit the nation in 88 years. The first family arrived in a wet Cuba and the president briefly struggled to open an umbrella before exiting Air Force One. They were met by a welcoming committee of top Cuban and American diplomats before the presidential motorcade departed Jose Marti Airport. President Raul Castro was not a part of the welcoming committee.

On the first day of the visit, the Obamas visited a variety of sites in Old Havana, a part of the trip that will be focused on cultural outreach. One of those sites included the cathedral in Old Havana where the first family will be hosted by Cardinal Ortega, who, along with Pope Francis, supported the Dec. 17 agreement to restore diplomatic ties between the United States Cuba.

In a conference call with reporters, the White House described the meeting as an opportunity to mark the important role of the Catholic Church in the lives of Cubans.

The White House described the goal of the trip to build "a bilateral a bilateral relationship in which we’re able to cooperate on a range of issues with the Cuban government."

On Monday the president's itinerary includes a wreath laying at the José Marti Memorial in Havana followed by a meeting with President Castro. Later, Obama will meet with Cuban business leaders and end the day with a state dinner at the Revolutionary Palace.

Obama will deliver a televised address that will be widely watched by the country and much of the world on Tuesday at the Grand Theater of Havana, where Calvin Coolidge was the last American president to speak, 88 years ago. The president will meet with members of the Cuban civil society and attend a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team before the first family moves on to Argentina.

While Obama's visit marks a huge step in restoring ties between the old foes, the trip is largely symbolic of the larger change the president hopes to bring to the nation. Some have compared the visit to President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, although the Cuba visit is not considered to be nearly as dramatic.

As explained by the New York Times, Obama is not expected to deliver any kind of ultimatum to Castro on human rights violations and is not in a position to lift the trade embargo, a move that can be achieved only by Congress. Since the two countries opened embassies in each other's capitals, critics have said there has been little if any improvement on the human rights conditions in Cuba.

While Obama will speak to Castro on the human rights practices in Cuba that have concerned the United States, a leading Cuban dissident invited to meet with the president on Tuesday said she would wait to hear his remarks before accepting his invitation. Berta Soler, leader of the "Ladies in White," told the Telegraph that Obama's trip was misguided. Wilberto Parada, a dissident who was one of four released last month, said removing dissidents from the country was beneficial for the government. He echoed Berta Soler's sentiment that change in the country has to come from within.

Ben Rhodes, a senior assistant to the president on foreign policy, told the Telegraph the conversation had changed and the message was no longer that the U.S. was trying to overturn the government in Cuba.

Since taking power, Castro has launched a series of social and economic reforms that have been widespread in Cuban society, the Associated Press reports. While the president is in Havana, the city is expected to be virtually shutdown.

President Barack Obama exits Air Force One at Palm Springs International Airport on Feb. 12, 2016. Patch photo by Renee Schiavone.