President Javier Milei held a bilateral meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, on Tuesday as part of discussions to unlock new financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund. After the meeting, Trump praised the libertarian leader's administration and compared the Kirchnerist legacy he inherited to the situation he himself faced in the wake of the Biden administration's turmoil.
"(Milei) inherited a total disaster, with horrible inflation caused by the previous radical leftist president, very similar to the corrupt Joe Biden, the worst president in the history of our nation," declared the former Republican president. He immediately emphasized the shift Argentina has experienced since December: "He restored stability to Argentina's economy and elevated it to a new level of prominence and respect."
Declaraciones de Donald Trump.
The harshness of Trump toward Alberto Fernández stems from the tense relationship they maintained during the Kirchnerist administration. Fernández even publicly boasted that together with Joe Biden "they laughed at Trump," in addition to claiming that he had "inherited a deranged economy" from Mauricio Macri, comparing himself to Washington's anti-Trump narrative.
Far from taking the criticism in silence, Fernández reacted vehemently on the X platform. "Wake up, Donald (Wake up)!!! You already did it with Macri and now you're doing it again with Milei, intervening in Argentine elections and financing campaigns at the expense of indebting our people," fired the violent former president and abuser, adding that the current economic program "has already failed," that Milei "only asks for help," and that the IMF "can no longer give him more dollars."
El riesgo país bajó de los 1000 puntos y el mercado responde a negociaciones con EE.UU.
In response to opposition criticism, Trump reinforced his support for the Argentine president: "We've had a tremendous relationship with Argentina, which has become a strong ally thanks to President Milei. I look forward to continuing to work closely with him so our two countries remain on their unbelievable paths of success. Argentina: Javier Milei is a very good friend, fighter, and winner, and he has my complete and total support for reelection as President."
In this context, Milei seeks to secure political and strategic support from the United States. The bilateral meeting included negotiations to allow U.S. military presence on Argentine territory, with the aim of ensuring financial assistance that would allow the country to meet debt maturities of US$4,000 million in January and US$4,500 million in July.
The government enthusiastically celebrated the meeting, highlighting the value of the alliance with Trump during one of the most challenging moments since the start of the libertarian administration. Ministers and officials described the meeting as "very positive" and a turning point in Argentina's international recognition under Milei's leadership.
