Miami’s moment: Why the Trump library belongs in the capital of the Americas | Opinion

Last week, I was sworn in as the next United States ambassador to Peru at Miami Dade College’s iconic Freedom Tower, surrounded by friends and family from South Florida, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. For me, the setting was deeply personal.

The Freedom Tower is the same place where my grandparents once stood in line to receive el queso del refugio, the food that sustained them in their earliest days of freedom after fleeing Cuba. What they found there was more than a big block of cheese. It was compassion, dignity, and hope.

I can only imagine my grandparents today, remembering how they stretched that block of cheese into meals of survival, and standing in awe that the grandson who once benefited from that generosity now stood in that same place as the U.S. ambassador to Peru.

For generations, the Freedom Tower has symbolized hope, opportunity and the promise of American democracy. It was fitting that my public service would be marked there, not as an endpoint but as a reminder of how history, institutions and leadership intersect across generations.

Just next door, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library is set to rise.

As I depart this week for Lima, I find myself hopeful not only about the work ahead, but about what the Miami of tomorrow will look like with this new civic institution added to its skyline.

Years ago as a graduate student in Boston, I lived near the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. Its presence mattered, inviting reflection on leadership beyond election victories. What struck me was the institution’s seriousness: a place drawing visitors less by ideology than by shared interest in history and consequence, standing above partisanship to document its era honestly.

That experience informs my support for establishing the Trump Presidential Library at Miami Dade College. At a time when Americans distrust institutions and reduce history to slogans, presidential libraries serve an essential purpose: preserving records, inviting scrutiny and encouraging citizens to study leadership fully.

Miami is especially fitting for such an institution. Few cities better reflect 21st century America. It is a global city rooted in entrepreneurship, and trade, sitting at the crossroads of the Americas. A presidential library here would serve as a beacon of democratic inquiry for the Western Hemisphere.

Presidential libraries work best within higher education institutions, which provide scholarly infrastructure and intellectual independence. Miami Dade College, the nation’s largest college and known as democracy’s college, offers opportunity regardless of background. Placing a presidential library there strengthens both institutions, giving students access to primary sources while the library benefits from academic context encouraging research and debate.

There’s also a practical dimension. Presidential libraries attract hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, supporting jobs and generating sustained economic activity. Miami is uniquely positioned to amplify that impact, contributing to the city’s emergence as a center for education and civic discourse.

Critics view presidential libraries through a partisan lens, but that misunderstands their role. At their best, they challenge visitors to confront history honestly and grapple with difficult decisions. They remind us democracy depends on informed judgment, not blind loyalty.

When I took my oath at the Freedom Tower, I was reminded that American democracy advances through enduring institutions that welcome newcomers, preserve history and prepare each generation to serve the next. Miami has long understood this responsibility. Placing a presidential library here affirms that legacy and extends it.

In that sense, Miami’s moment is also the nation’s. It is a chance to invest in the civic confidence required to shape the future.

Bernie Navarro is the U.S. ambassador to Peru and former chairman of the board of trustees of Miami Dade College.