Milei burnishes his Trump ties by hosting health chief RFK Jr

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires, signalling renewed Trump administration support for Argentina with the second trip by a US cabinet secretary in recent weeks.

The US Health & Human Services chief’s visit follows one by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Argentina's capital days after Milei’s government secured a US$20-billion funding agreement with the International Monetary Fund, where the US is the biggest shareholder. 

Fresh from unveiling a report on the rise in chronic diseases in the US, Kennedy planned to discuss healthcare reform and deregulation with his Argentine counterparts, HHS said in a statement. Milei’s office distributed photos of the meeting Tuesday.

Milei, who has cultivated an ideological bond with President Donald Trump, has joined the United States in withdrawing Argentina from the World Health Organization. He also slashed spending on birth control and abortion services and tightened Argentina’s comparably open immigration laws, vowing to deport any foreigner with a criminal record.

Despite ideologic ties, healthcare looks significantly different under the two leaders. Milei oversees a sprawling network of state-run hospitals and clinics that are free for millions of Argentines, while US health care is largely privatised and expensive by global standards. Milei hasn’t yet attempted to outsource free healthcare, which is a point of pride in Argentina.

With the libertarian leader, Kennedy planned to talk about “how to advance US-Argentina relations,” according to HHS.  

The meeting highlighted the Milei-Trump connection and the attention the US administration is focusing on South America’s second-biggest economy. The IMF agreement — Argentina’s 23rd — provided more than half of the funding up front, an unusual move by the Washington-based lender.

Milei set Argentina’s exit from the WHO in motion in February, citing “deep differences” on health policy, including recommendations during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Trump has called Milei his “favourite president,” while Milei has repeatedly travelled to the US and Trump-aligned conservative conferences around the world since taking office in December 2023. That includes a visit to Trump before he won the 2024 US election. 

Bessent told a JPMorgan Chase & Co event in April that the US would be willing to offer Argentina’s government a line of credit if needed to help its economic recovery under Milei. The South American nation is also in trade talks with the US, Economy Minister Luis Caputo said Friday.