Trump to Meet Argentina President-elect Javier Milei in Buenos Aires

Argentine presidential candidate Javier Milei (L) speaks to supporters after winning the presidential election in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Nov. 19, 2023. (Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images). President Donald Trump (R) disembarks his plane "Trump Force One" at Aberdeen Airport in Scotland on May 1, 2023. (Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump has called Argentina’s President-elect Javier Milei and plans to visit him in Buenos Aires, Mr. Milei’s office said on Nov. 23.

“The president-elect received a call last night from the former president of the United States, Donald Trump, who congratulated him and pointed out his triumph by a wide margin in last Sunday’s election had a great impact on a global scale,” a news release from Mr. Milei’s office said.

The statement does not provide a date for their meeting or when President Trump will be in Argentina. The inauguration of Mr. Milei is set for Dec. 10.

Mr. Milei has been compared to President Trump owing to their similar leadership style and policies.

The call was their first direct conversation between the two following Mr. Milei winning the Argentine presidential election on Sunday.

President Trump celebrated the win on his Truth Social on Tuesday, saying: “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!”

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Mr. Milei, a classical libertarian economist, won Argentina’s presidential election, defeating economy minister Sergio Massa on Nov. 19. His victory has shaken the political establishment not only in Argentina but throughout Latin America.

During his election campaign, Mr. Milei, 53, promised to make aggressive reforms if elected, such as cutting government spending and taxes, closing many federal agencies, including the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development; the Ministry of Women, Gender, and Diversity; and the Ministry of Education, which he called “the Ministry of Indoctrination.”

He also wants to privatize state-owned companies, deregulate private gun ownership, shut down the Argentine central bank, and replace the country’s currency with the U.S. dollar.

Anarco Capitalism

Mr. Milei, a self-described “anarcho capitalist,” praised President Trump in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson earlier this year. Mr. Milei urged the former U.S. president to “continue with his fight against socialism because he’s one of the few who fully understood that the battle is against socialism, that the battle is against the statists.”

Mr. Milei is also a vocal critic of the Chinese communist regime. In an interview with Bloomberg in August, he said: “People are not free in China; they can’t do what they want, and when they do it, they get killed. Would you trade with an assassin?”

Mr. Milei will take office on Dec. 10 with the challenging task of taming runaway inflation, a swollen bureaucratic state, and an establishment opposition that’s used to dominating the nation’s politics.

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 soared above 140 percent this year, surging 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 country.

From 1976 to 1983, Argentina was governed by a military dictatorship accused of committing 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.

His conversation with President Trump on Wednesday took place a few hours after Mr. Milei spoke with President Joe Biden.

President Biden congratulated Mr. Milei on his election victory while applauding the “conduct of the election as a testament to the strength of Argentina’s democratic institutions.” President Biden spoke with Mr. Milei about the need to continue building a “strong relationship” between the United States and Argentina, especially on “economic issues, on regional and multilateral cooperation, and on shared priorities.”

While Mr. Milei will be Argentina’s president next month, in the United States, President Trump is currently ahead of President Biden in multiple polls in the 2024 White House race.

In a Yahoo News/YouGov poll, President Trump holds a 44 percent to 42 percent lead over President Biden. Additionally, a Quinnipiac University poll shows President Trump garnering 48 percent support compared to President Biden’s 46 percent. In an Emerson College poll, President Trump maintains a lead over President Biden with 47 percent to 43 percent.

The Associated Press, Marcos Schotgues, and Stephen Katte contributed to this article.