MIAMI, United States. — The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, announced the appointment of the businessman of Cuban origin Benjamín León Jr. as the new ambassador of his country in Spain. The appointment must still be ratified by the Senate, where the Republicans have a majority.
The advertisement Trump himself made it through his social network, TruthSocial: “I am pleased to announce that Benjamín León Jr. will be the next United States ambassador to Spain,” wrote the president-elect.
León, born in the then province of Oriente (Cuba), arrived in Miami in 1961 when he was only 16 years old.
In his announcement, Trump highlighted the career of the potential future ambassador, calling him a “very successful businessman, equestrian and philanthropist.” In addition, he highlighted León’s contribution to charitable and educational causes and mentioned his support for institutions such as The League Against Cancer, Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The position of ambassador to Spain had remained vacant since last July, when Dominican-American diplomat Julissa Reynoso left her position after more than two years of service.
With the appointment of León, Trump is betting on a figure with a solid business and philanthropic career, which could strengthen economic and diplomatic ties between both countries.
León, who recently turned 80, is founder of Leon Medical Centers, a leading healthcare network focused on Medicare beneficiaries in Miami-Dade County. It has also invested in the training of new health professionals by funding the Benjamin León School of Nursing at Miami-Dade College and the Benjamin León Center for Geriatric Research and Education at Florida International University.
His family, originally from the province of Oriente (Cuba), left the Island in 1961 after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. Since then he has developed a fruitful business and philanthropic career in the United States.
With this Thursday’s announcement, León became the fifth person of Cuban origin appointed by Trump to occupy a position in his administration. If confirmations are made by the competent bodies, Marco Rubio will be secretary of state, Mauricio Claver-Carone will serve as special envoy of the State Department for the region, Peter Lamelas will occupy the position of ambassador to Argentina and Kevin Marino Cabrera in Panama.
