Argentina's President Javier Milei congratulated Donald Trump over his electoral victory and said he considers the president-elect a kindred spirit in the global struggle for liberty and economic prosperity.
“I am exhilarated to be able to share with the new United States administration the same level of freedom, and I’m convinced that together, we will restore it to the place it deserves,” Milei said at a post-election victory celebration at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida Thursday.
“Today, the winds of freedom are blowing much stronger,” he added, speaking in Spanish at the America First Policy Institute event.
While Milei, 54, is one of several foreign leaders who have reached out to Trump in the days since last week’s US election, he has been an unabashed admirer.
Milei, a libertarian economist who was elected last November, also warned of the “barbarism” of the “woke virus,” despotism and terror and urged for alliances that would protect “the Western legacy.”
Milei and Trump met backstage earlier this year at a Conservative Political Action Conference event where Milei also spoke.
The right-wing president also thanked Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk, who was in the audience, for his work promoting free speech.
Trump later acknowledged Milei in his remarks.
“Your speech was beautiful, but the job you’ve done is incredible,” Trump said. “Make Argentina great again. You know, he’s a MAGA person. And you know, he’s doing that.”
Milei has been enjoying a winning streak at home. After inheriting a severe economic crisis last December, his administration has significantly cooled inflation, wage growth has begun to recover while more signs emerge that in the third quarter the economy exited a brutal recession.
Despite the progress, Milei oversees an impoverished nation with more than half of its 46 million citizens living in poverty.
His administration is hoping Trump’s presidency can help smooth negotiations between Argentina and the International Monetary Fund over its US$44-billion programme.
As the Argentine leader appeared in Palm Beach on Thursday, his negotiating team at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan raised concerns among negotiators after they made a surprise exit without explanation less than four days into the conference. Their absence complicates the summit’s aim to agree on a climate finance deal amounting to trillions of dollars.
Milei’s administration didn’t explain why it withdrew its staff from the climate summit, reinforcing the president’s criticism of the Paris Agreement and 2030 agenda on sustainability founded by the United Nations.
by Stephanie Lai & Skylar Woodhouse, Bloomberg
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