At noon on Dec. 17, President Obama announced to the country and the world that the U.S. embargo on Cuba had failed and announced that diplomatic relations would resume for the first time since 1961 to talk about lifting travel restrictions and loosening the crippling embargo (more on what that means here).

In his speech, one phrase stood out to Twitter users who instantly turned it into a hashtag that embodied the policy shift. "Todos Somos Americanos," Obama said. Some felt that it was a historic moment for a U.S. president to say, in Spanish, that we are all American, while others were more skeptical.

#TodosSomosAmericanos, Obama tells Cubans. He also dared acknowledge some people still think of US as colonial power. Very interesting day.

— Lizzy Tomei (@ltomei) December 17, 2014

As a first-generation Cuban-American, today I am proud to call Obama my president. #todossomosamericanos #lifttheembargo

— Noelle Crochet (@noellecrochet) December 17, 2014

I'm under no illusion that there are still barriers to freedom and democracy in the United States. #todossomosamericanos

— karlosgaunaschmieder (@anotherpundit) December 17, 2014

"#todossomosAmericanos" - yes, we are. @BarackObama

— Mehni Gonzalez (@MehniG) December 17, 2014

Obama's announcement was immediately criticized by politicians like Marco Rubio, who called Obama the "worst negotiator" since President Jimmy Carter. Obama's announcement comes just a month after another that sparked outrage and admiration towards the president — executive action to allow millions of undocumented immigrants to apply for temporary legal status.