It was the week in which Republicans experienced setbacks at the polls, the federal closure became the longest in history, and countless individuals throughout the country, including three million residents in Florida, saw their nutrition assistance slashed.
However, in the alternative reality of the Magic City, where admission passes to an overwhelmingly conservative business conference fronted by Donald Trump were priced up to $1,990, and ultra-wealthy individuals from the Gulf kingdom rubbed shoulders with similarly wealthy US magnates including Jeff Bezos and Ken Griffin, those developments generated barely a ripple.
Conversely, in a gesture that appeared almost to highlight the widening divide between the city’s affluent and less fortunate, organizers of the America Business Forum cooked up a little treat for attendees: a $50 gift card to spend on food to sustain themselves while they listened to their president congratulate himself for a “golden age” he said his “economic miracle” had delivered.
Critics say the action, along with the high-budget opulence of the conference itself, was an ill-timed insult to more than a 500,000 local inhabitants who just saw their own capacity to buy basic food items for their families kiboshed by the gutting of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap).
“There exists a significant cognitive dissonance between what real people are experiencing, and the elite,” said a policy director, communications and policy director of a civic coalition, a coalition of over a 100 non-aligned, pro-democracy and civic engagement groups.
“The Amazon founder does not need a $50 meal voucher. But we observed that with the Great Gatsby theme party last week. They just can’t seem to stop doing things that are strikingly out of touch.
“We’ve been through shutdowns before, and while obviously the White House bubble is always somewhat unrealistic, presidents are typically astute enough, they generally know not to display this kind of behavior. But this government does not seem to care.”
The president’s hour-long speech on Thursday had the flavor of a political rally, with familiar insults for longtime adversaries including the Democratic leader and California’s governor, and a new one: the newly elected progressive mayor of New York.
The former president touched on his economic agenda, and lauded a array of speakers from the realms of politics, sport and commerce that filled the two-day agenda, organized largely by the local official to highlight the region and its investment opportunities.
Lionel Messi, the Argentinian football icon and global champion, offered star power from sporting circles, along with grand slam winners the Spanish player and the American athlete. A discussion between the Miami mayor and the Nobel laureate, the democracy activist who last month won the Nobel peace prize, was favorably viewed on the opening day.
Nevertheless overall it was a notable and unmistakably partisan event with a roster of supportive speakers on the podium, enthusiastically applauded by a audience of predominantly younger and affluent supporters of the leader in the audience, some blending professional attire with his signature red Make America Great Again (Maga) caps.
In what other way to account for the presence of the conservative South American leader, the nation whose unstable economy the US helped shore up last month with a twenty-billion-dollar currency swap? Or that of Saudi Arabians Fahad AlSaif, head of its $925bn Public Investment Fund, and Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Riyadh’s ambassador to the US, touting their nation as an opportunity while the Trump family’s business connections and influence there face increased examination?
Additionally there was the leader of Fifa, dropping hints that Trump is in line for the group's inaugural award, a controversial new award that observers see created specifically for the president as consolation for his prize rejection.
Additional participants, such as the CEO of JP Morgan; the founder of the co-working firm; and the financial executive, have all previously supported, collaborated with or backed Trump, offering clear evidence of a politically skewed lineup.
The Miami mayor, unsurprisingly, saw it differently.
“We wanted it to be a sort of a cross-section from different verticals, right?” he told reporters.
“We got in a room. We said, ‘Hey, what are the prominent figures?’ Individuals from varied origins, various heritages, different genders … athletics, commerce, government, tech, things that impact daily life.”
He pointed to conversations of forthcoming, money-spinning major occasions in the city, including the Formula One grand prix, next year’s G20 economic summit at a golf resort, and games during the soccer tournament, which he called “a historic moment”.
“Our hope is that Miamians are inspired by the experience,” the mayor said. “We want them to leave thinking, ‘I can be on that stage.’”
The advocates of State Voices Florida, on the other hand, contend numerous Miamians are more focused right now on other issues, particularly soaring housing and grocery prices. The state's Republican governor declined a request from the group and additional parties to issue an crisis over food assistance and tap state reserves to support immediate food distribution.
“Any civics teacher would tell you it’s his job to care for the residents of the state, and he’s doing the exact opposite,” the advocate said, noting the juxtaposition of a conference of ultra-wealthy individuals taking place in the identical region in which nearly 25% of households depend on food stamps to survive.
“There just seems to be this detachment at the highest levels. I don’t think the solution is choosing a Democrat or selecting a conservative, I just think we have to have greater compassion for individuals who are struggling in this state.”
Compassion was in limited quantity in the city from Trump, a leader not known for ever accepting blame during a difficult period.
“Opposition lawmakers are causing countless of Americans who rely on food stamps to go without benefits,” he said, attributing fault to the out-of-office party for the federal closure.
“I just want to have a country that’s great again. Is that OK?”
