The United States Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, publicly praised Argentine President Javier Milei. He highlighted his political evolution by stating that "he is going from being a great thinker to becoming a high-level politician".
The statements were made during an exclusive interview granted to La Derecha Diario / RAV Español . There, the U.S. official defended the currency swap agreement between the two countries. He also underlined the strategic role that Argentina occupies today within Washington's foreign policy.
United States support and Trump's role
Bessent emphasized that the financial agreement had the direct backing of President Donald Trump. The head of state — as he explained — "demonstrated leadership and supported President Milei" in a context of severe financial tension.
"It was very clear that the Kirchnerists were trying to provoke a disruption in the market to affect the election", stated the Secretary of the Treasury. He was referring to speculative maneuvers that sought to destabilize the Argentine economy for political purposes.
In that context, he assured that the swap was not a transfer of funds with no return, but a financial operation that was beneficial for both parties. "Everyone was saying: 'Oh, they're giving the Argentines the 20 billion dollars.' No, no, we didn't do that, it was a loan", he clarified.
"We ended up making money on the transaction", Bessent stated. He added that Argentina has already repaid USD 2.5 billion, which turned the operation into "a great deal for everyone."
Support for the Argentine people and regional axis
According to the U.S. official, the central objective of the support was to strengthen the country and the Argentine Government, but especially "the Argentine people". In that regard, he highlighted Milei's leadership by asserting that he managed to win the support of young people and of the most vulnerable sectors.
"They are the ones who suffered the most under Kirchnerism, under Peronism", he stated. He also maintained that this support constitutes a solid political base that could sustain the President over the coming years.
