“Bye-bye.”

 

The lack of respect Cuba showed to President Obama during the president’s arrival in Cuba illustrates the “amateur hour” level of the Obama presidency, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Sunday.

When Obama arrived to Cuba on Sunday, Cuban leader Raul Castro, who had greeted Pope Francis and other word leaders in person, was absent.

“We are amateur hour folks,” Trump said while speaking at a Palm Beach, Fla., Republican event. “Amateur hour!”

“Folks, what are we doing? What are we doing?” said Trump, before launching into an explanation of international etiquette.

“Here’s how this whole thing is supposed to work. Number one, his people should call up, ‘Who’s going to be greeting the president?’ If they say ‘nobody’ you don’t go until somebody’s there because you don’t want to look like a fool. And the head of Cuba, who was there for the Pope and was there for other dignitaries, but he wasn’t there for the President of the United States,” Trump said.

 Trump said Obama should have departed Cuba rather than endure the diplomatic disrespect.

  “He should have turned it around, should have said bye-bye … we’ll see you in a couple of years, maybe a couple of decades.”

Trump put the blame on President Obama.

“And I’m not knocking Castro, if they can get away with this stuff, they’re making a great deal. Because they’re making a deal, it is fine to do it … but honestly, number one, it should never happen, but if it did happen, it’s called: Bye-bye. Get in your plane and go home, but (Obama) got in the car and drove, nobody to shake his hand.”

“Can you imagine if I were in that position and I landed and nobody was there?” Trump asked. “They would say, ‘Donald Trump must be incompetent to allow a thing like this to happen.’”