When he was elected in November, American media mocked President Javier Milei as “Argentina’s Trump.”
After campaigning on the slogan “Make Argentina Great Again,” Milei promised radical solutions to address inflation The New York Times said topped 140 percent, raising eyebrows over how he could succeed.
But as businessman Adrián Mateo Germanetti noted after Milel was voted into office, there was little left to lose in a country where “Our pesos have been worth less than the paper you use to wrap firecrackers.”
Former President Donald Trump cheered Milel on in a Truth Social post, predicting “You will turn your Country around and truly Make Argentina Great Again!”
Argentina’s economy has surged for the first time since wildcard President Javier Milei took office. Economic activity in the country was up 1.3% from April, Bloomberg reported, well above analyst estimates. Recorded inflation was at 4.6% in June, down from 25.5% at the end of… pic.twitter.com/bzJ7wdllDf
— Stuart A. Brown (@StuOnGold) September 2, 2024
In a May 6 Op-Ed for GZero, Ian Bremmer wrote that there’s a lot of work to do, but the early results are positive, noting that Argentina has its first budget surplus in over a decade and that inflation is receding.
“After several administrations in Argentina doing their damnedest to destroy the economy, Milei is turning the place around. He’s succeeding,” he wrote.
Bremmer noted that once in office, Milel has focused less on rhetoric and more on righting the ship.
🚨 Axel Kaiser tells Jordan Peterson about Javier Milei’s miraculous transformation of Argentina’s economy
“All of these people who would have been Peronists 20 years ago are now libertarians…@JMilei has a charisma, a style that is very eccentric, and has the rhetoric of a… pic.twitter.com/lY8p3CDbCW
— Dave Benner, Nemesis of Neocons (@dbenner83) August 27, 2024
“Milei himself has been much more of a thoughtful leader in terms of economic policy and his willingness to back down from eccentric and overdone claims than I had expected when he first became president,” he wrote.
Bremmer noted that Milel faced a hostile media environment “because he was a right-wing libertarian, and also because he aligned himself with Trump and said nice things with the former president.”
Brenner noted that Milel still faces an uphill fight because reforming Argentina’s government and economy could mean tough times for its citizens “But there’s no question that for his first several months in government, this guy deserves respect for what he’s been able to actually accomplish.”
Brenner said the people of Argentina “have been run into the ground by poor governments, a series of poor governments. And if Milei is the guy that turns that around, he has nothing but support from me.”
While American politicians propose price controls, Argentina’s libertarian president repealed them.
Javier Milei also cut government spending and fired 24-thousand government workers. His reforms are working.https://t.co/ZH3esDJ5he
America needs a president like him: pic.twitter.com/7bViALEkxx
— John Stossel (@JohnStossel) August 18, 2024
Noting that in his first three months in office, Milel more than halved the monthly inflation rate, Forbes contributor Frank Holmes wrote in a May Op-Ed that Milel’s reforms are “not just refreshing but essential in today’s world of bloated government spending.”
“His ‘shock therapy’ approach, deeply rooted in free market principles and fiscal restraint, could serve as a blueprint for other nations grappling with similar economic ailments, including the U.S.,” he wrote.
President Trump and Javier Milei just met backstage at CPAC.
A warm embrace.
This is a special moment.pic.twitter.com/CDZIqFiZvE
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 24, 2024
Milel appeared in February at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he exchanged hugs with Trump and later told attendees: “Do not be led by mermaids singing social justice,” he said in Spanish.
“Do not give up your freedom. Fight for your freedom because if you do not fight, you will be led into misery,” according to the Associated Press.
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