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This was the week in which GOP lawmakers suffered a beating at the ballot box, the government shutdown became the most extended in history, and millions throughout the country, encompassing three million residents in the Sunshine State, saw their federal food aid slashed.

However, in the contrasting world of the Magic City, where tickets to an largely conservative corporate gathering fronted by the former president were priced up to $1,990, and billionaires from Saudi Arabia mingled with similarly affluent American tycoons such as the Amazon founder and the hedge fund manager, those developments created scarcely any reaction.

Conversely, in a move that appeared almost to highlight the growing divide between the urban area's haves and less fortunate, planners of the corporate summit cooked up a small perk for attendees: a fifty-dollar gift card to use on meals to sustain themselves while they paid attention to their president praise himself for a “golden age” he said his financial success had achieved.

Critics say the action, along with the high-budget extravagance of the event itself, was an ill-timed insult to more than a half-million local inhabitants who just saw their own ability to buy essential groceries for their families kiboshed by the reduction of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap).

“There exists a significant cognitive dissonance between what ordinary citizens are going through, and the privileged,” stated Larry Hannan, communications and policy director of a civic coalition, a coalition of more than a 100 non-partisan, democracy-focused and civic engagement organizations.

“Jeff Bezos hardly requires a $50 food card. But we saw that with the 1920s-inspired gala last week. They just appear unable to stop engaging in things that are shockingly disconnected.

“We’ve been through government closures before, and while clearly the presidential environment is always fairly unrealistic, leaders are usually astute enough, they generally know not to display this type of stuff. But this administration does not seem to care.”

The leader's hour-long address on the event's second day had the tone of a campaign event, with familiar insults for longtime adversaries such as the Democratic leader and California’s governor, and a new one: the newly elected progressive NYC leader.

Trump discussed his economic agenda, and praised a array of presenters from the realms of politics, sport and commerce that populated the multi-day agenda, created largely by the local official to showcase the region and its economic potential.

Lionel Messi, the Argentina football icon and World Cup winner, provided celebrity glitz from sporting circles, along with tennis champions the Spanish player and the American athlete. A discussion between the Miami mayor and the Nobel laureate, the political figure who last month won the prestigious award, was well received on the opening day.

Nevertheless in general it was a notable and unmistakably partisan gathering with a field of supportive speakers on the podium, loudly cheered by a audience of predominantly more youthful and affluent supporters of the president in the audience, some combining professional attire with his trademark red Make America Great Again (Maga) caps.

In what other way to explain the attendance of the conservative South American leader, the nation whose unstable economy the US supported last month with a $20bn currency swap? Or that of Saudi Arabians the fund chief, head of its $925bn Public Investment Fund, and the ambassador, Riyadh’s ambassador to the US, touting their country as ripe for investment while the former first family's financial ties and influence there face greater scrutiny?

Additionally there was the head of world soccer’s governing body, dropping hints that the former president is being considered for the group's first award, a controversial honor that commentators see established specially for the leader as compensation for his prize rejection.

Additional speakers, including the chief executive of the banking giant; the founder of WeWork; and the hedge-fund manager, have all previously supported, collaborated with or voted for Trump, offering clear evidence of a politically skewed roster.

The Miami mayor, predictably, saw it differently.

“We wanted it to be a sort of a diverse representation from various sectors, right?” he explained to reporters.

“We got in a room. We said, ‘Hey, what are the leading voices?’ Individuals from different backgrounds, various heritages, different genders … sports, commerce, politics, tech, things that touch everyone’s lives.”

He pointed to conversations of upcoming, lucrative notable events in the city, encompassing the F1 race, next year’s global conference at a leisure property, and games during the soccer tournament, which he called “a generational opportunity”.

“Our hope is that local residents are transformed by the experience,” the official said. “We want them to leave believing, ‘I can be on that stage.’”

The advocates of State Voices Florida, on the other hand, contend numerous locals are concentrating right now on different concerns, especially soaring real estate and grocery prices. Florida’s Republican governor rejected a request from the organization and additional parties to issue an emergency over food assistance and utilize state reserves to support immediate food distribution.

“Every social studies instructor would tell you it’s his responsibility to look after the people of Florida, and he’s doing the reverse,” the advocate said, noting the contrast of a conference of ultra-wealthy individuals taking place in the same county in which almost 25% of households rely on Snap benefits to get by.

“It appears to be this disconnection at the top. I don’t think the answer is choosing a liberal or selecting a conservative, I just think we have to have more empathy for people who are facing difficulties in this state.”

Compassion was in short supply in the city from Trump, a leader unrecognized for ever taking responsibility during a difficult period.

“Opposition lawmakers are resulting in countless of citizens who rely on food stamps to go without support,” he said, blaming the out-of-office political group for the government shutdown.

“I just want to have a nation that’s great again. Is that acceptable?”