BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—After years of anti-American posturing by its leader, Argentina has a new president whose outstretched hand has been eagerly accepted by the United States. President Barack Obama will reward the South American nation on Wednesday with a state visit aimed at keeping that promising trajectory on track.
Obama has made no secret of his preference for Argentine President Mauricio Macri over his left-leaning predecessor, Cristina Fernandez, whose meandering missives were a source of frequent frustration and eye-rolling in the White House. So Obama was all too glad to see her replaced in December by Macri, who has affably accepted U.S. help with his mission to modernize Argentina’s struggling economy.
“President Macri recognizes that we’re in a new era, and we have to look forward,” Obama said ahead of his trip.
Obama arrived in Buenos Aires for his two-day visit in the middle of the night. After a few hours’ sleep, he was heading to Casa Rosada, the Argentine president’s pink-hued offices, for a welcome ceremony and meeting. The two planned to hold a joint news conference before Obama lays a wreath at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral.
