In a week defined by political turmoil and growing hardship for millions of Americans, former President Donald Trump headlined a ritzy business conference in Miami, presenting a starkly different reality from the struggles faced by citizens across the nation.
A Tale of Two Americas
The event coincided with the Republican party suffering defeats at the polls and the US federal government shutdown becoming the longest in history. Crucially, 42 million people nationwide, including 3 million in Florida, saw their federal food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) severely reduced.
Yet, at the America Business Forum, where tickets cost up to $1,990, this crisis seemed a world away. The gathering was a hub of wealth, attracting billionaires from Saudi Arabia and American tycoons like Jeff Bezos and Ken Griffin.
Opulence and Insult
In a move critics labelled as tone-deaf, organisers provided attendees with a $50 gift card for food, a gesture that appeared to mock the financial distress of hundreds of thousands in Miami-Dade county who had just lost vital grocery aid.
Larry Hannan of State Voices Florida, a coalition of pro-democracy groups, called the conference's high-budget opulence an ill-timed insult. "There's just a massive cognitive dissonance between what real people are going through, and the elite," Hannan stated. "Jeff Bezos does not need a $50 food card... They just can't seem to stop doing things that are shockingly out of touch."
He contrasted the forum's atmosphere with the refusal of Florida's Republican Governor, Ron DeSantis, to declare an emergency over the SNAP benefit cuts, despite calls to use state reserves.
A Politically Charged Gathering
During his hour-long address on Thursday, which resembled a political rally, Trump celebrated what he called an "economic miracle" and a "golden age". He traded familiar insults with political opponents and introduced a new one: Zohran Mamdani, New York's newly elected democratic socialist mayor.
The two-day forum, largely orchestrated by Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, featured a line-up with a distinct political slant. The stage was filled with Trump supporters, including:
- Javier Milei, the rightwing President of Argentina, a nation Trump recently aided with a $20 billion currency swap.
- Saudi Arabian delegates, including the head of its $925bn Public Investment Fund, promoting investment amid scrutiny of Trump's financial ties to the kingdom.
- Gianni Infantino, head of FIFA, who hinted Trump was in line for a new peace prize from the football body.
- Business figures like Jamie Dimon and Ken Griffin, who have previously praised or supported Trump.
The event also boasted celebrity glamour from sports stars Lionel Messi, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams, and a well-received talk with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Mayor Suarez defended the forum's diversity, telling The Guardian it was designed to be a "cross-section from different verticals" to inspire Miamians. He highlighted upcoming major events for the city, including the Formula One grand prix and the 2026 World Cup.
However, for many residents, the focus remains on soaring housing and food costs. Hannan emphasised the need for empathy for those struggling, a quality notably absent from Trump's speech. The former president blamed "radical left Democrats" for the shutdown and the resulting benefit cuts, refusing to take responsibility and concluding with his signature line, "I just want to have a country that's great again. Is that OK?"
