After a brief hiatus to indulge founder Anthony Scaramucci’s equally brief (and colorful) Beltway ambition, the SALT Conference returns to Las Vegas this week for its 10th anniversary, promising a unique convergence of politics, business, sports and entertainment for which it’s known.
Scaramucci, managing partner of RIA SkyBridge Capital, will bring together a who’s-who of notable names, pundits and personalities, including former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Milken Institute Chairman Michael Milken, former White House Chief-of-Staff General John Kelly, Housing and Urban development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, Obama Administration Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, General David Petraeus, economist Dr. Nouriel Roubini, and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.
Sticking to its topical nature, SALT will also feature Club for Growth founder Stephen Moore, who just last week withdrew from consideration for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors.
In March, President Trump announced his intention to nominate Moore, but was met with strong opposition from Democrats in D.C.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty will provide the entertainment.
“I mean, the first and most obvious thing is that John Kelly fired my butt on the 11th day I was in the White House,” Scaramucci says, when asked about what he, specifically, is looking forward to this year. “The fact that he and I were able to have a rapprochement and develop a relationship together, and he’s going to come out and I’ll get the opportunity to interview him on stage in front of a few thousand-plus people, it’s a multilayered story there.
“We’re both Americans, both patriots, I get the fact that it was his job and I made a mistake and there are absolutely no hard feelings on my part, and I assume on his part. So, we’re moving on and that’s a fun thing for me.”
China, Crypto and (much) more
Cryptocurrencies will take center stage, with a Wednesday morning panel featuring the always-outspoken Dr. Nouriel Roubini, Professor of Economics at New York University, Joseph Lubin with Ethereum and Michael Novogratz with Galaxy Digital, moderated by Goldman Sachs’ Rana Yared.
As expected, China is also a major topic, with the added twist of artificial intelligence, something Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, will discuss.
“I think it’s super-important for us to understand that the U.S. is actually behind on AI research. This is probably the first time in a macro-technological trend, where there’s a nation—in the last hundred years—that’s ahead of us technologically. I think that’s going to be another interesting point of view.”
Nuveen has a major presence at the event, occupying one of two stages and tackling subjects like the future of wealth management, impact investing and rethinking the 60/40 mindset in a multi-asset world.
Scaramucci emphasizes the bipartisan nature of the conference, which is reflected in the speaker lineup, a collection of macro and microeconomic policy advisors, politicians and cabinet members, coming together to discuss the challenges faced today.
“Let’s go away from left and right and more towards right and wrong,” he concludes. “What are really the right things to do if we want to tighten up the social contract and make people feel like they’re able to participate in the growth of what’s going on?”