Healthcare business titan Benjamin Leon Jr., who founded Leon Medical Centers and made a fortune off Medicare patients — and who gave more than $3 million in campaign contributions last year — was appointed this week by President Elect Donald Trump as his new ambassador to Spain.
Think of it as a thank you.
More than half of the contributions that Leon made to different candidates and political action committees in 2024 went to help get Trump elected, according to records with the Federal Election Commission. He poured $1.18 million into the Make America Great Again PAC and nosher $928,000 to the president’s Trump 47 Committee. Leon also gave $413,000 to the Republican National Committee and $10,000 each to every state Republican Party — including Guam’s.
He has given to both sides of the aisle, but favors GOP candidates, giving $46,000 to Sen. Rick Scott‘s efforts and more than $13,000 to support Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar. He only have $6,000 to Democrat Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Trump wasn’t his first choice in 2016, however, when records show he gave $2.5 million to Sen. Marco Rubio‘s presidential bid.
“Benjamin is a highly successful entrepreneur, equestrian, and philanthropist,” Trump wrote this week on his own personal social media platform, Truth Social. Why does he include equestrian? Are horses the main way of transportation in Spain?
“He came to the U.S. from Communist Cuba at 16-years-old, with only Five Dollars in his pocket, and proceeded to build his company, Leon Medical Centers, into an incredible business,” Trump continued. “He has helped support many worthy causes, like La Liga Contra El Cancer, and important medical research at Johns Hopkins and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
“Benjamin has also invested in training our future doctors and nurses by supporting Miami Dade College’s Benjamin Leon Jr. School of Nursing and the Benjamin Leon Center for Geriatric Research and Education at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.”
He also recently gave a $10 million gift to FIU for the new home of the school’s CasaCuba, a gathering spot for scholars, artists and activists to discuss Cuba’s past, present and future.
Read related: Kevin Cabrera tapped as Panama ambassador; so who will replace him?
Leon’s net worth is estimated at $500 million, so it’s easy to give back. Especially for naming rights.
He got the thumbs up from several Miami area Republicans (though not Salazar), including Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, who posted on his social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Congratulations to my dear friend, Benjamin Leon Jr., a true titan in the healthcare field, who is making a profound difference in the lives of seniors and families in Miami-Dade County.
“As an outstanding member of the exiled Cuban-American community, he consistently gives back, advocating for freedom and standing up for those who are oppressed,” Diaz-Balart wrote. “Benjamin embodies the American dream and is a true patriot who will represent U.S. interests with great honor in Spain.”
Said Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega: “Like my parents, he came to this great country from Cuba in search of freedom and opportunity and has dedicated his life to giving back. His leadership and generosity, exemplified through his transformative support of our Benjamin León School of Nursing, have changed countless lives.”
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told Trump it was a “great pick,” on his social stream. “I couldn’t be happier for my good friend. Seeing Benjamín become U.S. Ambassador to Spain is a testament to his hard work, big heart, and dedication to helping people.”
How is this 80-year-old equestrian — because he bought a bunch of expensive horses and a stable in central Florida — qualified to be an ambassador? Especially in a country with universal healthcare that doesn’t cost its citizens anything at the point of delivery? Is he going to learn anything to bring home? The U.S. Mission in España is considered a critical European outpost, with a bunch of U.S. agencies working on economic, political, and defense and security matters.
Someone said on X that Leon is just going to shake hands, make introductions and throw flamenco parties. So this is what to expect of our ambassadors?
Those parties better not run too late.
Leon becomes the seventh person from Florida that Trump has named to a cabinet position or ambassdorship. Rubio has been nominated for Secretary of State, longtime campaign chief, Susie Wiles, for chief of staff and former State Attorney General Pam Bondi for U.S. Attorney General after Congressman Matt Gaetz, who has faced allegations of sexual misconduct, withdrew his name from consideration.
Trump also nominated Kimberly Guilfoyle, his son’s fiancee, to be the ambassador to Greece and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Merino Cabrera, who has also helped on his campaigns, to be the ambassador to Panama.
Prolific campaign donor Benjamin Leon tapped by Trump as Spain ambassador added by Ladra on
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[…] to the PAC and $5,000 in bundled checks to the Lara campaign. Benjamin Leon, the medicare mogul recently appointed ambassador to Spain by President Donald Trump, and a serial campaign contributor, gave at least $17,000 through his […]
[…] Leon, the medicare mogul recently appointed ambassador to Spain by President Donald Trump, and a serial campaign contributor, gave at least $17,000 through his […]
Mr Leon is one year older than me, and came to Miami , approximately, one year before me.We live largely on our family’s accumulated assets, that they bequeathed to their children. We have a roof over our heads, and Medicare sees to our health care. That year difference between his arrival at Miami , and ours , we attended our private, Jesuit administered School, the start of classes was delayed, because dome teachers had left the country , as well as most of the upperclassmen. It was s year of transition, to the incoming official Education policies. It was also the year when every private school was expropriated by the Revolution’s policies. Before Mr Leon found the new sources of the Potosi, he was an ordinary horse owner, in a small estate in West Kendall, commonly. known as Horse Country.
” It’s amazing how being rich has become a stigma”
It is not about being rich but about buying positions , etc.
I’m in the minority as I find Trump to be the up for sale SWAMP.
”The Framers knew buying access and influence is corrupt.”
‘ “Billionaires buy responsiveness to their pet issues. Foreign powers can earn an audience, using their dollars to put their issues on the agenda’
https://www.citizensforethics.org/news/analysis/the-framers-knew-buying-access-and-influence-is-corrupt-why-doesnt-the-supreme-court/
He Doesn’t Needs This !
Preparate! The next 4 years is going to be a wild ride. Y preparate con los ataques! Que pena.
How many Cuban grandmothers got pastelitos instead of proper dental care or heart operations? I know a few. What can they do about it? they are all dead now!
these clinics they typically over bill for what the government will pay handsomely for and deny treatment for everything else. Welcome to Trump health care. More billionaires less healthcare, billed to the government and paid for by us.
Employing underpaid, undertrained, overworked healthcare workers of his own ethnicity he forced them to care for large numbers of a largely unsophisticated population of his own ethnicity dusting off an old formula to ethnic riches underwritten by ethnic Machine politicians control of the federal government spigot. Oppressing your own as a path to riches hailed as success. Count me out as not an admirer .
It’s amazing how being rich has become a stigma. I do not know any poor person who gives employment to others, make any kind of monetary contributions or pay much in taxes.
Having been myself rich them poor and then rich again I will take rich any day of the week.
Envy is corroding. Ambition is the creator of wealth.
Kekn is a local. He’s owned property in West Miami’s Horse Country since the early years of our residence here. He has an in , that way, with animal loving middle socio-economic early Cuban exiles. He wasn’t so rich then , since Medicare wasn’t made a Government Insurance Program until 1965, or so, and then it took a few years for business minded residents of our community , to soften it’s stitches.
I don’t personally know Mr. Leon, but someone close to me does and I certainly have heard many good things about him. He helps a lot of people in need whenever they come in his way. He is a good man.
Ladra,
Stop spending your time on meaninglessness articles and focus on the obvious. But you won’t because you are part of the problem and not the solution.
You have a history of accusing folks on being plantidates. Why are you not looking into Manny Cid as one? It is quite obvious he ran a meaningless campaign to hand over the Mayoral Seat to Daniella Levine-Cava. However, since this benefited a Democratic Mayor all hands are off.
Right? Whatever is most politically convenient for you little dog with no bark.
Apparently there are many envious people who only speak about the current state of Mr. Benjamin Leon without acknowledging the many sacrifices he made to make the millions he made, the many people he has helped along his career, the many jobs he has created. I am in my late 60’s, also a Cuban American. I am very proud of all Cuban Americans who have accomplished what he has. I know how hard it was for my parents and even for myself and growing up in an adopted country. Maybe that is why I am so proud of and happy for Mr. Leon.
Quien got it right
Another lame article by Ladra. I guess the word “equestrian” sounds elitist to your limited worldly experience. Whatever Mr. Leon has done to deserve this honor or whether we agree with his appointment or not, I’m pretty sure he has done for this community a heck of a lot more than you could ever get to do. The line between admiration and envy is a blurry one, much more so from where you are seating.
Always fascinating how rich people who support the GOP, which dislikes government programs overall, made their fortune from government programs like Medicare, DOD contractors, etc. – quite the oxymoron isn’t it??
aaah, there it is. For the past few weeks I had been wondering where your poison pen was, Ladra. I see you found it. too bad. your pieces are so much better when you stick to facts & being informative. you know, journalism. but I guess that’s too high a bar and too much to expect. it is your column, your business, your prerogative. just know it diminishes you, and bunches you in an easy-to-ignore mediocre group. there’s a line between sharp witticisms and poisonous dribble, and sister, you crossed it. good luck with that.
Millionaires stick together you help me I will help you
Bird of a feather you fill it out
I am not sure how other major democracies around the world appointment its ambassadors, but here is based on how much you contributed and who you know.
I remember local Cuban-born Paul Cejas as ambassador to Belgium.
I visited the American ambassador’s residence in Madrid during Fitur, and I can tell you it is a very nice cribto spend four years in Spain.
I guess Mr. Leon wanted a nice end of life activity and it is just being in the right place at the right time with the right amount of money.