Is Donald Trump Coming to DR??

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In this week’s edition of the Grubernation Weekly Newsletter:

• Is Donald Trump Coming to Dominican Republic?

• How We Avoided Altitiude Sickness in Peru

• The Worst Resort in Punta Cana REVEALED!

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Happy Dominican Labor Day all!! 🇩🇴

Is Donald Trump Coming to Dominican Republic??

This might be one of the most important political events ever hosted in the Dominican Republic — and the President of the United States may be coming.

During the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI, Dominican President Luis Abinader reportedly invited Donald Trump to attend the 2025 Summit of the Americas, which will be held right here in Punta Cana this December.

And the word circulating?

Trump responded positively.

First... what is the Summit of the Americas?

This isn’t just a diplomatic meet-and-greet.

The Summit of the Americas is the primary forum where leaders from across the Western Hemisphere — from Canada to Chile — gather to tackle the region’s most urgent issues:

✅ Migration
✅ Trade & investment
✅ Climate & energy
✅ Public health & security
✅ Democratic governance

Since 1994, the Summit has helped shape everything from trade agreements to regional migration compacts. And every sitting U.S. President has attended... except one: Donald Trump, who sent Mike Pence in his place back in 2018.

So the buzz around whether Trump shows up this time is a legitimate geopolitical storyline. And consider this - no sitting US President has EVER come to Dominican Republic!

Why does it matter where the summit is held?

Hosting the summit isn’t just ceremonial — it’s a statement.

Each country must be approved by consensus through the Organization of American States (OAS), and there are criteria:

• Democratic stability

• Diplomatic credibility

• Infrastructure readiness

• And increasingly — economic and strategic importance

That’s why Punta Cana’s selection is a massive signal to the world that the Dominican Republic isn’t just a beach destination — it’s becoming a regional player.

What happened when Trinidad hosted in 2009?

This is a case study worth paying attention to.

When Trinidad & Tobago hosted the Fifth Summit of the Americas in 2009, they were the smallest country ever to host. It was a bold move — and it paid off.

Here's what followed:

• 📈 Exports to the U.S. jumped by over $1 billion in the year following the summit.

• 🏗️ Infrastructure was upgraded significantly, including airport expansion, new roads, and hotel development in Port of Spain.

• 🌎 Diplomatic credibility skyrocketed, with heads of state from across the hemisphere recognizing Trinidad as a reliable partner in trade and security.

In other words, it wasn’t just an event. It was an pivot point.

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This is DR’s moment

Let’s zoom out.

The Dominican Republic is:

• One of the fastest growing economies in Latin America

• The top destination for foreign direct investment in the Caribbean

• Sitting on a newly discovered rare earths opportunity that could reshape the region’s manufacturing and tech ecosystem

• Already building out zona francas, energy corridors, and logistics hubs to handle nearshoring from the U.S.

Now, with the Summit of the Americas being held in Punta Cana — we’re not just on the map… we’re being handed the microphone.

This is a global platform for the DR to lock in:

• Strategic investments

• Energy partnerships

• Trade agreements

• And global confidence

And what about Trump?

Whether or not Trump attends — the very fact that he was invited personally by Abinader, and responded positively, adds fuel to the importance of this event.

And with migration, trade, and security dominating the agenda, it’s likely that either Trump or his VP will be there. Either way, the U.S. presence will be strong, and the world will be watching Punta Cana.

Final thought: this is a clear sign

If you’re watching the Dominican Republic from the sidelines — whether for investment, relocation, business, or lifestyle — this summit is another signal.

Stable government. Strategic location. Rising global influence.

No better time to bet on the DR.

How We Avoided Altitiude Sickness in Peru

If you’ve been following along, you know my family recently spent 10 days exploring Peru over Semana Santa.

Because of the number of questions I got, I want to share the experience, our agenda and how all 14 of us traveling together avoided altitude sickness!

If you’re not familiar, one of the biggest attractions in Peru is Machu Picchu - one of the 7 wonders of the world. The launch point for that journey is usually the city of Cusco which is over 14,000 feet up!

Machu Picchu is pretty high itself so overall, many experience some level of altitude sickness when going.

Lots of advice is out there from hydration to medications and supplements - but my beautiful wife planned it so perfectly, all 4 families traveling together avoided it.

Here was our agenda:

• Day 1-3 Lima

• Day 3 Flight to Cusco and bus 90 minutes to Urubamba

• Day 4-5 Urubamba

• Day 5 Train to Aguascalientes (Machu Picchu)

• Day 6-7 Aguascalientes and Machu Picchu

• Day 8-9 Cusco

• Day 9-10 Fly back to Lima and then home to DR

We moved around a LOT! With 7 kids and 7 adults, early mornings and changing hotels almost every night it wasn’t easy but it was worth it.

As noted, Cusco is the highest point. Urubamba and Aguascalientes are higher than Lima but half the height of Cusco.

The way the trip was planned, we gradually elevated before hitting Cusco at the very end. We landed in Cusco on day 3 but immediately hopped the bus to Urubamba.

Even then, we could feel the difference in altitude in Urubamba, but it allowed us to get altitude adjusted before going back to the city.

Once in Cusco for an overnight stay, our breathing was more labored with minimal physical exertion - no doubt you can feel the elevation. But we avoided the other symptoms of altitude sickness like vomiting, headache, etc.

Honestly, I expected out of 14 people SOMEONE was gonna go down - but it didn’t happen!

Again, credit to my wife Silvia for planning this entire trip.

Side note - we did multiple tours, ate out at amazing restaurants, used planes, trains and automobiles around the country, had private buses taking us around and the ENTIRE trip cost my family of 4 right around $8500!!!!!

Tell me where you can do 10 days for $2000/person with all of the movement and tours that we were able to do!

Gradual ascension is key! It kept us from succumbing to the altitude for sure.

The Worst Resort in Punta Cana REVEALED!

A recent article indicated Punta Cana was the third worst tourist city to visit based on reviews!! Not the news you want to hear, but all data needs control.

In this video, I dissected the reason Punta Cana received this rating and was able to boil it down to a specific type of experience and even a specific resort driving the rating!

Here’s the gist - don’t cancel your DR vacation - just be mindful of where you spend it!

Thanks for reading and being a part of this community. Hope this helps you as you think about your move, investment or next vacation in Dominican Republic.