The American Business Forum kicks off in Miami with Trump, Milei, Machado and other key figures in politics and sports

On November 5 and 6, Miami will host the American Business Forum (ABF) at the iconic Kaseya Center. This historic summit is a global gathering that brings together leaders in politics, business, sports and entertainment to discuss economics, innovation and leadership.

This Wednesday, the day featured President Donald Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. Argentine President Javier Milei is scheduled to speak on Thursday.

The forum will also be attended by high-level sportsmen such as Argentine star Lionel Messi and tennis stars Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal, along with top executives such as Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon; Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan; and Steve Witkoff, special envoy of the United States for the Middle East.

Donald Trump at the American Business Forum

Donald Trump opened his remarks at the event by celebrating the anniversary of his election. "We are gathered today on the one-year anniversary of the most important election victory in the history of the United States," the president declared.

The United States faces a choice between "communism and common sense," Donald Trump declared Wednesday, the day after the election victory of some Democrats in several states.

"Our opponents propose an economic nightmare. We are achieving an economic miracle," the president said, after criticizing the election of New York's left-wing mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

"We'll take care of it," Trump told the businessmen, alluding to Mamdani, a politician who bills himself as a "Democrat and socialist" and campaigned on promises such as free public transportation.

Likewise, Donald Trump affirmed that the United States went from being "a failed country" to "an enormously successful one" and assured that his administration managed to triple the performance of any other country in the world.

Government shutdown

"It's time for Chuck Schumer and the radical Democratic Congress to stop playing games with people's lives and pass a clean funding bill - which they've already done 30 times - and reopen the government immediately."

"Democrats on the radical left are causing millions of Americans who rely on food stamps to go without benefits, they are forcing federal workers to go without a paycheck," the president asserted.

Gaza peace deal, "there is nothing fragile about it"

The president also expressed his gratitude to Steve Witkoff, whom he described as an "incredible person with a great personality."

The president assured that Witkoff is "of the best" and highlighted the "very good work in Israel," stressing that thanks to his management "now there is peace in the Middle East." Trump attributed those results to the work of his special envoy.

The president also said that although many consider the peace agreement as a "fragile pact," he rejects that interpretation. He claimed it was difficult to reach, but assured, "There is nothing fragile about it."

Trump stated that Gaza had been "a disaster for years" and claimed that the recent agreement “truly” represents "the end of the conflict."

Operations against narco-terrorist organizations

The president also highlighted the operations against the drug cartels in the Caribbean and assured that since the beginning of his mandate he signed a decree to designate them as "foreign terrorist organizations."

The president said that "each drug shipment that enters the United States kills 25,000 Americans" and stressed that each attack on these shipments is "saving 25,000 lives."

Likewise, he informed that his Administration is focused on arresting gangs such as the Tren de Aragua gang and other criminal organizations.

Trump receives the key to the city of Miami

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez presented President Trump with a ceremonial key to the city during the event at the Kaseya Center.

At the end of the Republican leader's speech, Suarez handed over the key, stating, "Your leadership and vision have shaped not only our nation, but also the future of our city."

María Corina Machado at the American Business Forum

Machado intervened this Wednesday as a speaker with a participation that took place virtually from Venezuela. During her speech, the opposition leader and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize exposed her diagnosis of the severe crisis her country is going through and defended that the democratic transition in Venezuela is possible.

María Corina Machado assured that, if there is a transition of power, her immediate action would be to protect the population and secure the borders, free all political prisoners, and warned Nicolás Maduro that "your time is running out."

The opposition candidate also outlined what would be her first 100 days in power, focused on "tending to our people" guaranteeing them security, the supply of medicines and fuel. She also noted that Venezuela "needs order, especially economically."

Machado said she is committed to turn "fear into hope" and "poverty into opportunities for all." The opposition leader remarked in front of the audience the serious economic situation Venezuela is going through, indicating that "80% of the population lives below the poverty line" despite having "the largest oil reserves in the world," and that children "attend school only twice a week."

Venezuela, "a security shield" for the region

The opposition leader assured that Venezuela will become "a security shield in the center of the American continent." Her plan implies "dismantling the cartels and transnational terrorist organizations," as well as "expelling the agents that turned it into a threat," in reference to the presence of foreign actors such as Iran and Russia.

Machado accused Iran of turning Venezuela into a "satellite" through the presence of Revolutionary Guards training in the country, the manufacture of drones and the use of the Venezuelan financial system to launder funds from Hezbollah.

On Russia, she claimed that it supplies "weapons, intelligence and technology" to the Maduro regime.

As for China, she maintained that Venezuela was "the first country to receive Chinese loans for $60 billion," and that Hugo Chávez allowed the Chinese state-owned company Citic to exploit mineral resources. Machado assured that these countries carry out intelligence work in Venezuelan territory.

The opposition leader also warned that her country has become "the headquarters of U.S. adversaries" in the hemisphere, describing the presence of China, Russia and Iran in Venezuela as a serious threat to regional security "only three hours by plane from Florida."

The opposition leader emphasized her intention to "forge alliances to guarantee the long-term security of the hemisphere."

Machado: "Maduro started this war and Trump is ending it"

The Nobel Peace Prize winner accused Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday of having declared war on his people and thanked President Donald Trump for ordering the attacks against drug trafficking vessels off Venezuela.

"Maduro is not a legitimate head of state. He is the leader of a narco-terrorist structure and has declared war against the Venezuelan people and the democracies of the region," Machado said

"Maduro started this war and President Trump is ending it," added the oppositionist, who called the U.S. strategy "absolutely correct."

Cuba and Nicaragua will also be free

In a speech, Machado linked Venezuela's future with that of Cuba and Nicaragua, assuring that "the liberation of Venezuela will bring the liberation of Cuba and Nicaragua." She predicted that "for the first time the American continent will be free of communism, dictatorships and narcoterrorism."

Addressing the Venezuelan diaspora, Machado sent a direct message to the nearly nine million Venezuelans who have fled the country: "Know that you will be able to return."

A big privatization program

The opposition leader also promised to implement a "huge privatization program" and open the country's doors to investments estimated at $1.7 billion.

Machado spoke of investment opportunities in hydrocarbons, mining, infrastructure, energy and tourism, and of an eventual boost in the development of artificial intelligence.

Venezuela will be "the envy of the world"

During her speech, María Corina Machado expressed her optimism about Venezuela's future, assuring that, thanks to a democratic transition in about five years, the Caribbean country will be "the envy of the whole world."

Machado assured that international observers "will not be able to believe how we became such a prosperous and safe country," acknowledging that "many feared that the destruction of our institutions, families, souls would have been irreversible."

The opposition leader concluded by describing Venezuela as a future "example of what citizens achieve when they unite to achieve a free nation," which will also "welcome all citizens of the world who want to invest and make their dream come true."

Machado assured that her country can become "the energy pole of the American continent," to become "the new frontier of innovation and wealth" and invited the audience of the business forum "to be part of this."