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Arguing that the goal of terrorism is to disrupt “people’s ordinary lives,” President Barack Obama pushed back at critics who condemned his decision to attend a baseball game during his historic trip to Cuba following attacks in Brussels, Belgium, according to ABC News.

The Obama family, along with Cuban President Raul Castro, attended a Major League Baseball exhibition game Tuesday between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team. It was the first MLB exhibition game to be played in Cuba in nearly 20 years.

Republican presidential candidate and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was the loudest critic, calling on Obama to suspend his trip and return home to the United States or travel to Belgium’s capital, writes the television news outlet:

“The whole premise of terrorism is to try to disrupt people’s ordinary lives,” President Obama said in an interview with ESPN during the game, noting that “it’s always a challenge when you have a terrorist attack anywhere in the world.”

The president added that one of his “proudest moments as president” was when Boston united in the wake of the attack on the city’s marathon, complimenting Red Sox player David Ortiz in particular for declaring that Boston would not be intimidated.

“When Ortiz went out and said probably the only time that America didn’t have a problem with somebody, a person on live TV, was when he talked about Boston, how strong it was and that it was not going to be intimidated,” Obama said.

As for Brussels, ABC News reports:

Three explosions hit the city’s international airport and a subway station in what the Belgian federal prosecutor classified as terror attacks that left dozens dead, with three Americans among the nearly 200 injured.

A moment of silence was held before the game in recognition of the attacks on Belgium.

What do you think about the president’s decision? Sound off in the comments.

SOURCE: ABC News | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty

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Obama Hits Back At Critics After Attending Cuba Baseball Game Following Brussels Attacks  was originally published on newsone.com