Donald Trump has chosen who will be his ambassador to Spain. This is Benjamín León Jr, an 80-year-old Cuban-American businessman, according to León, he is a donor to the Republican Party and an equestrian enthusiast. He will be ambassador in Madrid at a time when the European Union awaits with concern the return of Trump to the White House due to the threat of imposition of tariffs and the possibility of a change in its foreign policy with respect to Ukraine and NATO, aspects that can condition the transatlantic relationship.
The position of US ambassador to Spain to rejoin the law firm Winston & Strawn as a partner especially dedicated to transnational matters. León’s appointment is subject to Senate confirmation, but Trump’s nominee should have no problem getting the green light.
The Government of Pedro Sánchez has had a fluid relationship with the Biden Administration. in May 2023. on the occasion of the NATO summit held in Madrid. The olive tariffs – imposed by Trump, but which Biden has largely maintained – and, more recently, for vetoing the stopover of ships with weapons for Israel, have barely tarnished a friendly bilateral relationship that has allowed agreements on various matters. . on which Trump insists so much, and the possible new tariffs may become reasons for friction in the new stage.
“Benjamín is a very successful businessman, equestrian enthusiast and philanthropist. He came to the United States from communist Cuba at age 16, with just five dollars in his pocket, and built his company, Leon Medical Centers, into an incredible business.” León’s business history is a little more complex than that. .
León was born in Oriente (Cuba) in 1944. His family emigrated from the island in 1961, after the Cuban Revolution. Benjamín León Jr arrived in Miami at the age of 16, followed by his parents and his brother that same year. He started washing dishes at the Shelborne Hotel, worked as a newspaper delivery boy for the Miami Herald and also stocked shelves at grocery stores, according to profiles that have been published about him.
At that time there was a large influx of Cuban immigrants entering Miami. Many of the immigrants had difficulty accessing health care due to language barriers and an overwhelmed health care delivery system in the county. For this reason, Benjamín León Sr., together with Moisés Liber, and a group of doctors and professionals founded the first prepaid medical center in Miami, Clínica Cubana, in 1964. Benjamín León Jr joined the company as the first director of member services.
Father and son later founded the Cuban Association Clinic (CAC) in June 1970, which in 1973 received Florida’s first Health Management Organization (HMO) license, which provides a type of health insurance that typically limits coverage to care provided by doctors who work for or contract with the HMO. It generally does not cover out-of-network care except in emergencies. The León family sold the firm to the giant UnitedHealthCare in 1994 for about $500 million.
Benjamín León Jr. founded Leon Medical Centers (LMC) in 1996, which provides its services to beneficiaries of Medicare, the public health insurance, aimed primarily at seniors, and later, Leon Medical Centers Health Plans. The company is currently managed by his son, Benjamín León III. The group has 2,300 professionals and serves more than 44,000 Medicare beneficiaries, primarily in the Miami-Dade area. The family also has real estate investments.
equestrian passion
In parallel to his business career, the man who will be ambassador in Spain has dedicated himself to his great passion, horse riding. In the 1980s, he founded the Besilu stable, which excelled in breeding Paso Fino horses. In 2008, he bought his first English thoroughbred (Thoroughbred), began participating in horse racing and spending tens of millions of dollars at horse auctions. In 2011, he bought the mare Royal Delta for $8.5 million, which won prestigious races and made León a regular figure in specialized publications. He began raising thoroughbreds in his stable.
“I love horses. I enjoy horses. I love breeding horses and trying to breed a great horse is what motivates me the most,” he declared in 2012. “Even so, I am very aware of the reality of this sport. You are going to lose much more than you are going to win, and being successful is a challenge,” he added.
Along with businesses and equestrian sports, León has dedicated part of his assets to philanthropy. “He has helped support many worthy causes, such as The League Against Cancer, and important medical research at Johns Hopkins and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,” Trump highlighted in his Truth message. Supported the Benjamín León Jr. School of Nursing at Miami-Dade College. In 2008, he donated $10 million to create the Family Center for Geriatric Research and Education at Florida International University, to which he has continued to contribute. This same year, he donated $10 million to a Cuban cultural and academic center that facilitates debate and study of Cuban affairs at the university, to help build its new headquarters.
What Trump did not mention in his message on the social network is something that serves as a common business card to apply for the position of United States ambassador. León is a donor to Republican Party candidates and, in particular, to the one who will be his direct boss, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, also of Cuban origin. Curiously, he contributed 2.5 million in 2015 to the senator’s campaign, who at that time had Trump himself as a rival in the Republican presidential primaries.
