Biden Discusses ‘Shared Priorities’ With Argentina’s President-Elect Javier Milei
President Biden recently spoke with President-elect Milei about the need to continue building a “strong relationship” between the United States and Argentina.
Argentine presidential candidate for the La Libertad Avanza alliance Javier Milei speaks to supporters after winning the presidential election runoff at his party headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Nov. 19, 2023. (Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden has spoken to Argentina’s President-elect Javier Milei for the first time about the “shared priorities” between the United States and Argentina, the White House has said.
Argentina’s economy Minister, Sergio Massa, conceded defeat to Mr. Milei on Nov. 19 after it became clear he couldn’t win. Argentina’s Electoral Authority later revealed the now President-elect Milei secured 55.7 percent of the vote, while Mr. Massa only received 44.3 percent.
According to a Nov. 22 press release from the White House, President Biden spoke with President-elect Javier Milei about the need to continue building a “strong relationship” between the U.S. and Argentina going forward. Especially in areas such as “economic issues, on regional and multilateral cooperation, and on shared priorities.”
The two leaders also reportedly flagged the need to advocate for the protection of human rights, address food insecurity and invest in clean energy. All issues that have plagued Argentina both in the past and present.
President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting on progress to counter the flow of fentanyl into the United States in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on Nov. 21, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Argentina was one of the wealthiest countries in the world a century ago but has since become one of the poorest after decades of high government spending and stagnation. Inflation has soared above 140 percent this year. It surged past 100 percent in February for the first time since 1991. As a result, looting and economic collapse have been ever-looming threats across the whole country.
President Biden also congratulated Argentina’s Mr. Milei on his election victory while applauding the “conduct of the election as a testament to the strength of Argentina’s democratic institutions.”
From 1976 to 1983, Argentina was governed by a military dictatorship accused of committing more than a few human rights crimes, including torture and executions. It is estimated that between 10,000 and 30,000 citizens were killed throughout this period. Elections and democracy in Argentina were restored in 1983 and have continued ever since.
Former President Donald Trump, to whom Mr. Milei has often been compared, also extended his congratulations to Argentina’s President-elect in a post on social media:
“Congratulations to Javier Milei on a great race for President of Argentina. The whole world was watching! I am very proud of you. You will turn your Country around and truly Make Argentina Great Again!”
A New Start for Argentina
Mr. Milei is expected to take office on Dec. 10. Among his initial obstacles will be taming inflation, a swollen bureaucratic state, and an establishment opposition used to dominating the nation’s politics. During the election, he vowed to tackle these challenges by lessening state interference in the national economy and potentially adding the U.S. dollar as a currency.
Other previously discussed plans by Mr. Milei include cutting the number of federal agencies and ministries. A viral video showed him stripping the names of government departments from a whiteboard. The self-described “anarcho-capitalist” also frequently waved a chainsaw above his head at political rallies as a symbol of his promise to slash the size of the state.
Supporters of presidential candidate Javier Milei hold a sign depicting Milei wielding a chainsaw, prior to his closing rally before the runoff election in Cordoba, Argentina, on Nov. 16, 2023. (Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images)
Mr. Milei’s political coalition “La Libertad Avanza,” which translates to “Freedom Pushes Ahead,” describes its mission as promoting “pro-freedom policies that aid the economical, political, and cultural development that Argentinians need.”
Most of the blame for Argentina’s deteriorating situation has been laid squarely at the feet of the formerly ruling Justicialist Party, also known as the Peronist Party, which had been in power for decades.
Under the former ruling party, which advocated for social justice and socialism, poverty has risen significantly. Socialism and social justice are political philosophies that essentially boil down to the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities. In comparison, capitalism, which is used in the U.S., advocates for an economic and political system where private owners control a country’s trade and industry for profit.
