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Obama defends attending baseball game in Cuba after Brussels attacks

President Barack Obama speaks next to Cuban President Raúl Castro during a Major League baseball exhibition game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team at the Latinoamericano stadium in Havana on Tuesday. | Getty

Obama defends attending baseball game in Cuba after Brussels attacks

By NOLAN D. MCCASKILL

03/22/16 03:48 PM EDT

Updated 03/22/16 06:55 PM EDT

President Barack Obama pushed back on criticism from Republican presidential candidates regarding his decision to remain in Cuba in wake of tragic terrorist attacks in Brussels, suggesting that doing so would have played into the terrorists’ hands.

“It’s always a challenge when you have a terrorist attack anywhere in the world, particularly in this age of 24/7 news coverage,” Obama told ESPN at the top of the third inning in a historic baseball game in Havana between Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team. “You want to be respectful and understand the gravity of the situation, but the whole premise of terrorism is to try to disrupt people’s ordinary lives.”

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Acknowledging calls to go back to the U.S. or Brussels to lead, Obama shared what he called one of his proudest moments as president — when Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz told fans in a pre-game speech following the Boston marathon bombing: “This is our f---ing city and nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.”

“Probably the only time America didn’t have a problem with somebody cursing on live TV was when he talked about Boston and how strong it was and wasn’t gonna be intimidated,” Obama said. “That is the kind of resilience and the kind of strength that we have to continually show in the face of these terrorists. They cannot defeat America.”

Obama also vowed to strike back against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in the first apparent official confirmation that the U.S. believes the terrorist group was indeed behind the Brussels attacks.

“The notion that any political agenda would justify the killing of innocent people like this is something that's beyond the pale,” he said. “We are gonna continue with the over 60 nations that are pounding ISIL, and we're going to go after them. In the meantime, obviously our thoughts and prayers are with those who've been lost and hoping for a speedy recovery or those who've been injured.”

Ted Cruz and John Kasich urged Obama to leave the communist island nation following a series of explosions that ravaged the Brussels airport and metro system, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.

But Obama chose to remain in place. After delivering brief remarks on the terrorist attacks and a broader speech on U.S.-Cuba relations, as well meeting with Cuban dissidents and civil society leaders at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, Obama arrived to the baseball stadium in Havana wearing khaki pants, a white shirt and a pair of sunglasses. Obama attended the game with first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Sasha and Malia Obama, and other U.S. and Cuban officials.

The president entered the stadium alongside Cuban President Raúl Castro. Both stood for a moment of silence before the game and later participated in the wave in the stands.

Obama thanked ESPN and other sports media for the way they covered the historic baseball game in its broader context. “Ultimately, what this game’s about is goodwill and the recognition that people are people, but we can’t forget that there are some larger stakes involved in this,” he said.

“I’ve said this before, that’s the power of baseball. That’s the power of sports,” he added. “It can change attitudes sometimes in ways that a politician can never change, that a speech can’t change.”

Tampa Bay defeated Cuba 4-1.

Hours later, Donald Trump tweeted that Obama "should leave the baseball game in Cuba immediately & get home to Washington- where a #POTUS, under a serious emergency belongs!"

But Obama had departed the game long before the final out, traveling to his next stop in Argentina.