Critics accuse Milei of ‘compromising sovereignty’ with Trump

The words of Donald Trump following last Tuesday’s meeting with President Javier Milei – “If Milei does not win the elections, we will not be generous with Argentina” and “Our agreements are subject to who wins the elections” – not only had an immediate impact on the markets but also sparked a wave of criticism from across the opposition spectrum.

Jorge Taiana, the top Fuerza Patria candidate in Buenos Aires Province, tweeted: “The Milei government, to clinch an electoral result and also out of a sense of duty but with enormous irresponsibility, is accepting commitments which compromise Argentine sovereignty in the medium and long term … losing us our capacity to take decisions for ourselves.” 

Hinting there must have been conditions imposed by Washington in exchange for financial aid: “There is a series of political agreements which we still do not know but are doubtless linked to the economic support provided by the [United States] Treasury.”

Buenos Aires City Fuerza Patria senatorial candidate Mariano Recalde chimed in: “It’s clear that Milei is asking to be salvaged because his economic plan is not working. And, as always, it is clear that the United States is interfering in our country’s domestic affairs during an election no less” before drawing a parallel with the 2015-2019 Mauricio Macri administration, “another government which, as we all know, failed.” 

Left-wing lawmaker Myriam Bregman of the Frente de Izquierda accused Milei of “saving his government but sinking the country,” dismissing his agreement with Trump as “a new colonial pact … which we will have to confront in Congress.” She also took aim at the moderate opposition by asking: “How did Milei pass laws with seven senators and 37 deputies?”

Outgoing senator (running for the other house of Congress) and UCR Radical party chairman Martín Lousteau also criticised the agreement for “interference in domestic political affairs, extortion of the Argentine electorate and financial rescue in exchange for we know not what,” concluding: “How expensive Milei’s electoral campaign is turning out.”

However, former Domestic Trade secretary Guillermo Moreno quipped: “The best Peronist campaign manager … Thank you, Trump!”.

Former two-term Córdoba governor Juan Schiaretti now running for Congress for the centrist Provincias Unidas urged: “Let’s stop looking for magic solutions – the economic plan  [of Javier Milei] has failed and its course must be corrected with common sense and experience … making the needed corrections to this economic plan and moving forward.”

Schiaretti criticised the current economic situation saying: “People cannot reach the end of the month and inflation remains high.” 

The Córdoba leader accused Milei of “grabbing the money of the provincial and municipal governments and that was not enough and then the money of pensioners, the universities and the disabled and that was still not enough.”

“He didn’t put a peso into maintaining 40,000 kilometres of national highways and still not enough. He then borrowed from the International Monetary Fund and squandered that. He asked for money from grain exporters and that was not enough. And now he has gone begging to the United States to see if that can save him,” concluded Schiaretti.

– TIMES/NA/PERFIL