Who is Anthony Robbins, Brought by Prabowo to the Free Nutritious Meal Event?
President Prabowo Subianto invited American motivational speaker and entrepreneur Anthony Robbins to an event involving 12,000 mobilisers and partners of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme in Bogor, West Java. Addressing the audience, Prabowo introduced Tony, as Robbins is known, as a close friend.
According to Prabowo, Robbins rose from a background of significant hardship to achieve success. “From a young age, he faced challenges because he came from a very poor family,” the President stated during the ‘Building Indonesia’s Future Generations Through Nutrition’ event on Wednesday, 3 June 2026, as reported by the Presidential Secretariat.
The Chairman of the Gerindra Party noted that he and Robbins share many common views, particularly in efforts to assist those suffering from hunger. “He is also one of the pioneers in providing food to hungry people worldwide, not just in his own country,” Prabowo added.
Prabowo revealed that he met Robbins because the self-help author became interested after hearing about the MBG programme. So, who is Anthony Robbins?
Anthony Jay Robbins was born Anthony Mahavoric in California, USA, on 29 February 1960. The man of Croatian descent is renowned as a motivational speaker who frequently conducts seminars and writes self-development books.
Robbins’ first book, ‘Unlimited Power’ (1986), was written when he was 26. His second book, ‘Awaken The Giant Within’ (1991), is his most popular work, with estimated sales of up to four million copies. His other notable works include ‘Money Master the Game’ (2014) and ‘Life Force’ (2026).
According to tonyrobbins.com, the 66-year-old grew up in a household that struggled with food insecurity. His family was rarely able to host a Thanksgiving feast, a national holiday in the US traditionally celebrated with large family meals. Robbins recounted that his family could only enjoy such a feast when he was 12, thanks to an anonymous donor who provided food they could not afford. This experience instilled in him a lifelong commitment to addressing hunger in the United States and globally.
After leaving home at age 17, Robbins worked as a cleaner before building his career in motivation and business. In 2014, Robbins partnered with Feeding America to launch a free food programme called the ‘100 Million Meals Challenge’, a donation campaign aimed at distributing 100 million meals to those in need within one year. His website claims they exceeded this target in 2016, 2017, and 2018 by utilising donations, working alongside food banks and pantries across the US.
In 2019, following the success of the initial target, the campaign evolved into the ‘Billion Meals Challenge’, aiming to distribute one billion meals by 2025—a goal achieved two years ahead of schedule. In 2023, Robbins launched a new campaign alongside the former Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme, Governor David Beasley, called the ‘100 Billion Meals Challenge’, which aims to distribute 100 billion meals globally. Representatives of this campaign frequently meet with world leaders to coordinate efforts.
Robbins’ career has not been without controversy. He has been involved in several legal matters, including a 2000 copyright infringement lawsuit filed by US author Wade Cook. Additionally, in 2019, BuzzFeed News published reports regarding allegations of sexual misconduct involving the speaker. Robbins denied these reports and filed a defamation lawsuit against BuzzFeed News, as reported by Fox News.