The man from Córdoba and the former president met again after years of distance. They promised to talk more often, although they no longer have much to offer each other
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Juan Schiaretti traveled alone to Buenos Aires, without an entourage or his wife. He landed at Aeroparque on Friday the 11th and went straight to downtown Buenos Aires. The destination: the offices of Jorge Triaca, former Minister of Labor under Macri's administration.
Mauricio Macri and Miguel Ángel Pichetto, the eternal political strategist, were waiting for him there. It was a reunion after three years of distance and mistrust. The last time they spoke face to face, the dollar was worth half as much and Larreta still dreamed of the presidency.
Macri's anger dated back to May 2023, when Schiaretti negotiated with Larreta without informing him. "He did it behind my back," the former president muttered in private. Since then, there has been a cold silence between them, barely interrupted by the occasional phone call.
Macri didn't forgive the move and strongly supported Bullrich in the primaries. That move blew up any rapprochement between people from Córdoba and Buenos Aires. Juez, outraged, traveled to protest and ended up losing the province by 64,000 votes.
El enojo de Macri venía de mayo de 2023, cuando Schiaretti negoció con Larreta sin avisarle
Reunion without urgency, with a hint of retirement
This time they didn't talk about candidacies, at least not urgent ones. Schiaretti presented his project to create a "broad middle road." A proposal without an audience, but with the look of an outdated GPS.
Macri listened without interrupting much, with the air of a retired diplomat. He admitted differences with Milei, but praised his "courage" to make the adjustments (which he himself lacked the courage or will to make). He appeared reflective, a tone that suits him perfectly since he lost control of PRO.
The man from Córdoba reviewed his national strategy, focused on Buenos Aires province and his new centrist alliance. Hacemos por Argentina is moving forward with the Somos front in that district. It includes Radicals, Lilitos, Massotistas, and Peronists without Kirchnerism or votes or the ability to generate social enthusiasm.
Macri weighed in with a direct warning and, perhaps, the only coherent thing he has been heard saying in a long time. "Be careful with the Peronist mayors, they can screw you over at the last minute," he said bluntly. The man from Córdoba nodded, like someone listening to a retiree with union stories.
El cordobés repasó su armado nacional, centrado en la provincia de Buenos Aires
Two separate paths, a politics without direction
The conversation was cordial, but each continues on his own path, like someone foreseeing an inevitable end. Schiaretti still doubts whether he will be a candidate in Córdoba to fight, in vain, against the libertarians. Macri, meanwhile, is content to comment from the FIFA stands, the only active role he still holds.
In Buenos Aires province, he hardly decides anything anymore. This was demonstrated when Ritondo, Santilli, and Montenegro made a deal with the libertarians and then informed him of the details. Macri nods with a look of "they didn't tell me," but he no longer has any influence, and no one seems to take his word into account.
Meanwhile, he must settle for continuing to pursue a pact with the Mileis in Buenos Aires City, with Bullrich as his main card. He surely longs to place someone he trusts on the Senate ticket. Although with Patricia, as is suspected, he will probably once again witness a defeat in his own district.
The meeting ended with the promise to keep talking, like two retirees who no longer know how to cope with being forgotten. There were no alliances or common strategies, just nostalgia and the desire not to become a memory. However, they agreed on one thing: both will lose again in their districts, and they detest Massa even more than Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
