{"id":273174,"date":"2025-04-03T14:19:03","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T14:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/03\/javier-milei-trumps-favorite-president-has-few-deals-to-offer-but-lots-of-adoration\/"},"modified":"2025-04-03T14:19:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T14:19:03","slug":"javier-milei-trumps-favorite-president-has-few-deals-to-offer-but-lots-of-adoration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/03\/javier-milei-trumps-favorite-president-has-few-deals-to-offer-but-lots-of-adoration\/","title":{"rendered":"Javier Milei, Trump\u2019s \u2018Favorite President,\u2019 Has Few Deals to Offer \u2014 but Lots of Adoration"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/04\/03\/multimedia\/03argentina-trump-analysis-tzfg\/03argentina-trump-analysis-tzfg-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Javier Milei, Trump\u2019s \u2018Favorite President,\u2019 Has Few Deals to Offer \u2014 but Lots of Adoration\" title=\"Javier Milei, Trump\u2019s \u2018Favorite President,\u2019 Has Few Deals to Offer \u2014 but Lots of Adoration\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The day after President Trump antagonized world leaders across the globe with his most sweeping set of tariffs yet, he was scheduled to fly to Florida and potentially see the one leader he has called <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/english.elpais.com\/international\/2024-11-13\/trump-tells-milei-you-are-my-favorite-president-in-first-call-since-us-election.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">his \u201cfavorite president.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That leader, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/11\/20\/world\/americas\/javier-milei-argentina-trump.html\" title=\"\">President Javier Milei of Argentina<\/a>, had flown overnight to receive an award on Thursday at a right-wing gala at Mar-a-Lago. Mr. Trump was scheduled to also be there late Thursday \u2014 Mr. Milei said Mr. Trump would receive an award, too \u2014 and Mr. Milei said he hoped the two would meet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It was Mr. Milei\u2019s 10th trip to the United States in 15 months as president, and nearly every time, he has met Mr. Trump or Elon Musk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump has posited that he is reshuffling U.S. foreign policy strictly around what is good for the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">So what can be puzzling about his elevation of Argentina to the front row of America\u2019s allies \u2014 Mr. Milei and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy were the only world leaders <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2025\/01\/20\/us\/politics\/trump-inauguration-attendees.html\" title=\"\">onstage at Mr. Trump\u2019s inauguration<\/a> \u2014 is that the chronically distressed South American nation is not particularly important as an economic or geopolitical partner.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Instead, through Mr. Milei, Argentina has offered Mr. Trump something else he appears to crave: adoration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI love him because he loves Trump,\u201d Mr. Trump <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rev.com\/transcript-editor\/shared\/n0p-8PGG_4kotGvM6TBfXLZk3hxOaRWAvnReqfsK860DvxI3PSBTgTE28XcEOFgaH937h2hweUuA8kJfFLZixcBGuus?loadFrom=PastedDeeplink&amp;ts=2445.36\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said of Mr. Milei<\/a> in a speech last year. \u201cAnybody that loves me, I like them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Milei has repeatedly and publicly lauded Mr. Trump. He has posted doctored images of them embracing. He has <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/21\/us\/politics\/elon-musk-doge-cpac-chainsaw.html\" title=\"\">gifted Mr. Musk a custom chain saw<\/a>. And when Mr. Milei became the first world leader to visit Mr. Trump after the U.S. election, he danced around Mar-a-Lago and told the crowd, \u201cToday the world is a much better place.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Carlos Kikuchi, a conservative talk radio host in Argentina who helped run Mr. Milei\u2019s campaign, said that, to the Argentine leader, \u201chaving such a smooth relationship with Trump and Musk is like touching heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Milei has translated his devotion into policy. Weeks after Mr. Trump said he would pull the United States from the World Health Organization, Mr. Milei <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/05\/world\/americas\/argentina-who-withdrawal-trump.html\" title=\"\">did the same<\/a> with Argentina.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After Mr. Trump exited the Paris Climate Agreement, Mr. Milei\u2019s government <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/14\/world\/americas\/argentina-exit-climate-deal.html\" title=\"\">said it was looking into doing so, too<\/a>. Mr. Milei fired his first foreign minister because she voted at the United Nations \u2014 as Argentina always had \u2014 against the U.S. embargo on Cuba.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">And after Mr. Trump began criticizing Ukraine \u2014 a nation Mr. Milei had steadfastly supported for years \u2014 Argentina abstained from a U.N. vote to condemn Russia for its invasion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Milei has also become one of the loudest voices in the culture wars, going on a global speaking tour of sorts to attack leftists, feminists and transgender people, and to laud Mr. Trump as the champion who will, in Mr. Milei\u2019s telling, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/tZr-aK01Vfc?si=XPbr7inMVharQcHu&amp;t=30\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">save the West from \u201cwoke ideology.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cEvery time we meet with President Trump, he always says, \u2018I like this guy,\u2019\u201d Gerardo Werthein, Argentina\u2019s new foreign minister, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lFk7OfLHEJ0\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said this week<\/a>. \u201cHe always says, \u2018He is MAGA like me: Make Argentina Great Again.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump has praised Mr. Milei\u2019s work in stabilizing Argentina\u2019s economy. Indeed, Mr. Milei <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/12\/world\/americas\/argentina-president-milei-inflation-economy.html\" title=\"\">has succeeded in lowering inflation<\/a>, increasing growth and balancing the budget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Yet, for the United States, Argentina remains an awkward fit as a strategic partner. The nation of 46 million is geographically separated from much of the world and has been stuck for decades in cycles of economic crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The two countries also sell many of the same things: corn, wheat, soybeans, meat, oil. Trade between them fell 8.6 percent to $16.3 billion last year. Argentina ranks 36th globally in buying American exports, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, a research group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Wednesday, Argentina, was still hit with the 10 percent minimum levy applied to nearly every country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Mr. Milei, who describes himself as a radical libertarian, found a bright side. \u201cFriends will be friends,\u201d <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JMilei\/status\/1907561598861852944\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">he wrote on social media<\/a>, linking to the Queen song and then sharing posts arguing that Argentina had gained an advantage over countries hit with higher tariffs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Arguably the biggest potential prize for the United States is Argentina\u2019s large stockpiles of strategic minerals, including lithium, a necessary component of renewable batteries. American and Chinese companies are major players in Argentina\u2019s expanding lithium mines, and Tesla \u2014 run by Mr. Musk \u2014 <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/12\/technology\/elon-musk-world-leaders.html\" title=\"\">buys Argentine lithium<\/a> for its electric-car batteries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">U.S. diplomats have urged the Milei administration to move away from China, including by restricting China\u2019s access to lithium and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/02\/26\/business\/dealbook\/trump-ukraine-minerals-rare-earth.html\" title=\"\">rare-earth elements<\/a>, according to a former senior Milei administration official and senior U.S. diplomat who spoke anonymously to discuss private talks. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Yet Argentina\u2019s <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/chinas-trade-dominance-south-america-tempers-trumps-influence-2025-03-03\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">trade with China has increased<\/a> under Mr. Milei, and China remains a larger trading partner than the United States, buying soybeans, silver and beef.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">So far, then, it may be Mr. Milei who has gained the most from the new friendship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Argentina is seeking a $20 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund and, as the fund\u2019s biggest stakeholder, Washington holds the key vote. Argentine officials have said they expect to have Mr. Trump\u2019s support.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Luc\u00eda Cholakian Herrera<!-- --> contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/03\/world\/americas\/argentina-javier-milei-trump.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The day after President Trump antagonized world leaders across the globe with his most sweeping set of tariffs yet, he was scheduled to fly to Florida and potentially see the one leader he has called his \u201cfavorite president.\u201d That leader, President Javier Milei of Argentina, had flown overnight to receive an award on Thursday at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/04\/03\/multimedia\/03argentina-trump-analysis-tzfg\/03argentina-trump-analysis-tzfg-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[58011,3598,2699,163575,2534,10893,17706,206582,751,3606,6039,3626,137131,2627,52,1734,128437],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273174"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273174"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":273176,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273174\/revisions\/273176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}