Milei expects to attend Trump’s inauguration as US president

President Javier Milei is expected to attend US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, according to a government spokesperson.

Milei, a Trump admirer, was at a post-election victory party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in November and a government spokesperson told Bloomberg Saturday he’ll also attend the inauguration. 

The report comes after several media outlets in Argentina reported that Milei had been extended a formal invitation to the event.

Milei himself posted on social media over the weekend linked to reports detailing the reported invitation.

Trump’s transition team has yet to comment on whether Milei will be a guest at the January 20 ceremony in Washington.

CBS News reported this week that Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration, which would be a highly unusual move and unlikely to happen. 

No foreign head of state has attended a US presidential inauguration in at least a century, according to US State Department records going back to 1874. The event is typically witnessed by ambassadors, US lawmakers and the general public. 

However, Trump is believed to want a select group of invited leaders at his January ceremony, including Xi, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and El Salvador's Nayib Bukele.

If Milei attends the inauguration in Washington DC, he would become the first Argentine president to attend the historic swearing-in ceremony.

Milei has regularly voiced his admiration for Trump and was one of the first world leaders to congratulate the Republican leader on his November 5 election win over Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris.

“Congratulations on your formidable electoral victory. Now, make America great again. You know you can count on Argentina to carry out your task. Success and blessings,” Milei wrote in a post on social media, reacting to Trump’s victory.

– TIMES/BLOOMBERG/NA