President Donald Trump’s historic trip into North Korean territory over the weekend was lauded by prominent voices on the right as a bold stroke of diplomacy, one that could bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and avert military conflict with the rogue regime. But when President Barack Obama, his predecessor, attempted similar overtures to leaders of repressive regimes abroad, critics on the right hammered him as naive, feckless and inexperienced. In 2016, for example, Obama received much criticism from conservatives and Fox News personalities after he traveled to Cuba to meet with Raúl Castro, the brother of the late Fidel Castro. It was a similarly historic trip ― Obama became the first president to visit the island nation since 1928. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), then a presidential candidate, wrote a highly criticalop-ed for Politico at the time suggesting Obama traveled to Cuba simply to “hang out with Raul Castro and his henchmen.” “Meanwhile, political prisoners languishing in dungeons across the island will hear this message: Nobody has your back. You’re alone with your tormentors. The world has forgotten about you,” Cruz wrote. North Korea operates camps estimated to be holding tens of thousands of political prisoners and, like Cuba, continues to quash basic freedoms. North Korea’s appalling treatment of Otto Warmbier, a 21-year-old college student from Ohio, also shocked many in the U.S. Warmbier died shortly after being returned to his family brain-dead after 15 months in captivity in North Korea. Mercedes Schlapp, a White House aide who is set to join Trump’s reelection campaign, offered a similarly critical take of Obama’s trip to Cuba ― although she wasn’t aware yet that it would be her future boss who would get the honor of shaking hands with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

#Cuba#obama shakes hand with dictator Raul Castro. next shakes hands with NK dictator Kim Un Jung? — Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) March 21, 2016

In another tweet, Schlapp critically compared Obama’s Cuba trip to the idea of a U.S. president “visiting North Korea.”

@BarackObama visiting Cuba is equivalent to visiting North Korea Embracing communism is anti-American. he is giving Castro dictators a pass. — Mercedes Schlapp (@mercedesschlapp) February 18, 2016

Prominent conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, meanwhile, mocked Obama for seemingly often meeting “with some dictator somewhere.”

It's 5p ET, which means Pres Obama must be meeting with some dictator somewhere. Are there any left? — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) April 5, 2016

But after Trump’s meeting with North Korea’s leader over the weekend, Ingraham called his efforts “historic, regardless of the outcome.”

Liberals once believed that it was a sign of strength for a president to go to extraordinary lengths for peace. President Trump did this today in North Korea. Historic, regardless of the outcome. — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) June 30, 2019

Other prominent conservative commentators similarly gave Trump good marks for his North Korea trip ― even though they previously criticized Obama for meeting Castro in Cuba.

Living in Miami you get a unique perspective on #Cuba. Obama's handshake w/Castro was disgraceful. He once again showed his true colors. — John Cardillo (@johncardillo) April 12, 2015

I hope Obama washed his hand after the Castro love fest. But then again, our POTUS loves guys like that. — John Cardillo (@johncardillo) December 10, 2013

Historic diplomatic success right here, but instead of praise he’ll get nothing but criticism. https://t.co/4Tnsly5DBL — John Cardillo (@johncardillo) June 30, 2019

Dictator hugging disgrace https://t.co/dxb0FZpIcg — Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) February 18, 2016

Another day, another 2,000 Americans not killed in a war with North Korea. — Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) June 30, 2019