Trump tells Milei: ‘You are my favorite president’ in first call since US election
The Argentine leader has been waiting to speak with the Republican president-elect for a week
Javier Milei has finally had his much-anticipated phone conversation with Donald Trump. The call came after a week-long wait, longer than Milei would have liked. The Argentine politician views himself and Trump as “the two most relevant politicians on the planet.” And the fact that there was no call following Trump’s recent electoral victory in the United States was a blow.
The conversation took place on Tuesday, and was confirmed by Buenos Aires through Milei’s spokesperson, Manuel Adorni. “Donald Trump to President Javier Milei: ‘You are my favorite president,’” Adorni posted on X to sum up the phone call.
The lack of communication between Milei and Trump was testing the patience of the Argentine government. At the Casa Rosada, the seat of government in Argentina, officials struggled to understand why the Republican leader chose to speak with over 70 other world leaders the day after his victory, while delaying a conversation with Milei, his most ardent supporter. To bridge this silence from Mar-a-Lago — Trump’s estate in Palm Beach and the epicenter of the U.S. presidential transition — Milei spent much of the week sending direct messages to Trump.
On Wednesday morning, Milei publicly congratulated Trump on X and offered his support: “Now, make America great again. You know you can count on Argentina to carry out your task.” He bolstered his outreach with a TikTok video, where he appeared in a leather jacket, staring resolutely into the camera. “I congratulate President-elect Donald Trump for the great victory in the elections held yesterday. You know you can count on Argentina to make America great again,” Milei declared.
Trump’s response was not forthcoming. In the meantime, the Casa Rosada revealed that Milei would receive an even greater prize than a phone call: an invitation to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), set to take place from November 14 to 16 in Palm Beach. The goal is a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Milei, culminating in a new photograph — only their second since February 25, when they were first pictured together at a CPAC event in Washington. During that brief meeting, Trump told Milei in English, “Let’s make Argentina great again,” to which Milei responded, “I hope to see you again, next time as president.”
Milei’s wish will be fulfilled this week when he travels to Florida, marking his seventh visit to the United States since assuming the presidency 11 months ago. This time, he plans to meet again with businessman Elon Musk. Milei claims that the Tesla owner has been in touch with his Minister of Deregulation, Federico Sturzenegger, to discuss applying Argentina’s public spending “chainsaw” approach — a policy that Milei claims is “creating a sensation around the world.”
Milei celebrated Trump’s victory over Democrat Kamala Harris as if it were his own. The expectation in Buenos Aires is that this diplomatic alignment with the U.S., which has been the bedrock of Argentina’s foreign policy since last December, will finally bear fruit. Just two weeks ago, Foreign Minister Diana Mondino lost her position for voting against the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
Milei branded her a traitor for not aligning with the U.S. and Israel on the matter and ordered an ideological “purge” within the Foreign Ministry to identify and dismiss officials who did not adhere to the administration’s policy. Mondino was replaced by Gerardo Werthein, the former ambassador to Washington. Werthein, who has a politically diverse background — including a Kirchnerist past — has now aligned himself with Milei and enjoys strong connections within Trump’s circle.
With Trump to return to the White House, Milei anticipates substantial support as a reward for his loyalty. Argentina urgently needs the U.S. to advocate for a new financial aid package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which would provide approximately $15 billion, supplementing the $44 billion loaned in 2018 to former president Mauricio Macri.
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