After the national broadcast by Javier Milei regarding the Malvinas issue, the "journalist" operator Paulino Rodrigues attacked the president during his radio program “Where We Are” and spread a fake and edited interview from 2024 to make him look bad.
In the fragment, which was edited and never occurred, the Argentine president claims that the Malvinas Islands do not belong to Argentina and defends the United Kingdom.
Rodrigues introduced the material with the statement: “In 2024, Milei said things like this about the Malvinas issue when asked about it:”. He then showed an edited version of an interview in which Milei apparently responded that the islands did not belong to Argentina.
In the fragment aired by the journalist, a question is heard that does not correspond to the formulation of the original interview: “Do you consider that the Malvinas belong to Argentina?”.
Then comes Milei's false response: “No. Because that territory is currently in the hands of the United Kingdom and they have every right to do what they want on their islands. England conducts its operations according to international rules.”
The false fragment
The Real Interview and the Defense of the Malvinas
The heavily edited fragment is exposed when contrasting those phrases with the real interview. In the original dialogue, the journalist did not ask Milei if he considered that the Malvinas belonged to Argentina.
The question was specifically: “Was it, in your opinion, a provocation for (British Chancellor) David Cameron to visit the islands in February?”
Milei's response was also different from what is implied in the fragment presented by Rodrigues. The then-candidate responded: “No, because that territory is currently in the hands of the United Kingdom. So, they have every right to do so. I do not take it as a provocation.”
Milei's response
The difference is significant. The original response referred to Cameron's visit to the islands and whether that trip should be considered a provocation. In contrast, through the editing used in “Where We Are,” those words are associated with a different and much broader question: whether the Malvinas belong to Argentina.
Furthermore, the complete interview contains another statement from Milei that directly contradicts the interpretation that was sought to be established with the edited fragment. At another point, the current President stated: “I will try to convince them that this territory is Argentine. Argentina has the right and sovereignty over the islands.”
Thus, the false interview presented by Rodrigues's operator not only altered the question but also the president's response.
Milei's Response and Rodrigues's Apologies
As expected, the president confronted him on social media over the media operation. "HERE THE HUMAN SHIT MAL CAGADA OF PAUTINO RODRIGUES OPERATING WITH A FALSE VIDEO. HUMAN SHIT THAT LATER CRIES ABUSE...", he posted on his X account. He concluded: "WILL THIS PIECE OF FILTH RETRACT?".
After the controversy generated, operator Rodrigues finally acknowledged his mistake and offered his apologies: "We definitely retract in the same program and during the same hour, putting out the true note. We took responsibility. I reaffirm the apologies. It should not have happened to share an edited and inappropriate video that made the president say what he never said. Again, apologies. Rigor always marks the way."
