Kirchnerism questioned access to credit and urged people to "go out and steal" before asking for a loan

The "economist" and former Kirchnerist Emmanuel Álvarez Agis questioned the existence of a widespread availability of consumer credit and suggested, during a radio interview, that some people should “go out and steal” to cover their expenses.

The statement arose during a conversation on Radio Con Vos, where Álvarez Agis analyzed the possibility that a smaller amount of available credit could be "favorable." In that context, the former official posed a question that generated repercussions: “Wouldn't we be a bit better off with less credit?”.

Álvarez Agis presented his argument based on the situation of people who need money to cover expenses and must decide how to meet those needs. In particular, he raised the case of someone who has to choose between taking out a loan or seeking another alternative to obtain money.

"I'm going to make a politically incorrect argument. Wouldn't we be better off with less credit?", stated the former Kirchnerist official.

In another part of his intervention, the economist used a similar expression when referring to a person who needs to make a food purchase. He mentioned the possibility of “going out to steal” versus the alternative of requesting “two hundred fifty thousand to pay for the groceries at the supermarket.”

"What do I do? Do I go out and steal or do I ask for a loan of 250,000? Because maybe there are a lot of people who have had to make that decision. Maybe that tool shouldn't be available", he declared.

In this way, the former Kirchnerist official brought into question the availability of a financial tool intended for consumption and raised whether access to it should be reduced, suggesting theft as a solution.

Emmanuel Álvarez Agis was the Undersecretary of Macroeconomic Programming from 2011 to 2013. He later served as Deputy Minister of Economy of the Nation from 2013 to 2015, during the government of Cristina Kirchner.

The response from Javier Milei

Álvarez Agis's statements generated a response from President Javier Milei, who directly questioned the economist through a message published after his remarks became known.

The president wrote in capital letters: “ATOMIC IDIOT. CIAO!”. The expression was directed at Álvarez Agis and was Milei's response to his comments about credit and the possibility that a person would have to choose between requesting a loan or “going out to steal”.