Javier Gerardo Milei[note 1] (born 22 October 1970) is an Argentine politician and economist who has served as the
President of Argentina since December 2023. Milei has taught university courses and written on various aspects of economics and politics, and also hosted radio programs on the subject.
Milei's views distinguish him in the
Argentine political landscape and have garnered significant public attention and polarizing reactions.
In November 2021, Milei was elected to the
Argentine Chamber of Deputies, representing the
City of Buenos Aires for
La Libertad Avanza. As a national deputy, he limited his legislative activities to voting, focusing instead on critiquing what he sees as Argentina's political elite and its propensity for high government spending. Milei pledged not to raise taxes and donated his national deputy salary through a monthly raffle. He defeated economy minister
Sergio Massa in the second round of the
2023 Argentine presidential election on a platform that held the ideological dominance of
Peronism responsible for the still ongoing
2018 Argentine monetary crisis.
Javier Gerardo Milei was born on 22 October 1970 in
Palermo, Buenos Aires.[1][2] He grew up in the
Villa Devoto neighborhood and later moved to
Sáenz Peña, Buenos Aires.[3] Milei's mother, Alicia, was a homemaker,[4] and his father, Norberto, was a bus driver.[5][6] His father is of
Italian descent, while his mother, whose maiden name is Lucich, is of
Croatian descent. They are related to Uruguayan TV presenter
Rodrigo Lussich [
es], who said their grandparents migrated from Croatia to Argentina.[7] Furthermore, Milei revealed in April 2024 that one of his grandparents found out that they were
Jewish shortly before their passing.[8] His parents, according to Milei in 2018, beat and verbally abused him,[9] causing him to not speak to them for a decade;[4] he regarded them as dead.[10] He was supported by his maternal grandmother and his younger sister
Karina,[1] with whom he had a close bond,[11] and whom he calls "the boss".[12]
Javier Milei attended
Catholic schools,[1] including the secondary school Cardenal Copello.[3] At school, he was nicknamed el Loco ("The Crazy One") for his outbursts and aggressive rhetoric.[1] In his late teens and early adulthood, Milei sang in the
cover band Everest, which mostly played
Rolling Stones covers. He also played
goalkeeper for the
Chacarita Juniors football team until 1989,[5][13] when Argentina suffered a period of
hyperinflation and he committed to a career in economics.[14]
For over 20 years,[when?] Milei was a professor of macroeconomics, economics of growth, microeconomics, and mathematics for economists.[3] He specializes in
economic growth and has taught several economic subjects in Argentine universities and abroad. He had written more than 50 academic papers by 2016.[16][17]
By 2016, Milei had been the chief economist at Máxima AFJP, a private pension company; a head economist at Estudio Broda, a financial advising company; head economist of Corporación América; and a government consultant at the
International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.[16] He was also a senior economist at
HSBC Argentina.[16] He served as chief economist at several national and international government public bodies.[3] Since 2012, Milei has led the division of Economic Studies at Fundación Acordar, a national think tank.[16] He is also a member of the
B20 and a member of the Economic Policy Group of
International Chamber of Commerce, an advisor to the
G20. For 15 years,[when?] he worked at the private company Corporación América as the chief economist and financial adviser to
Eduardo Eurnekian.[18]
Milei is the author of several books,[19] including El camino del libertario.[20] He has a notable presence on television, with a 2018 ranking by Ejes showing him as the most interviewed economist on television, at 235 interviews and 193,347 seconds.[21] Milei also hosted his own radio show, Demoliendo mitos (Demolishing Myths),[22] featuring regular appearances by
Alberdian and
right-wing libertarian personalities, including the economist and businessman Gustavo Lazzari, the lawyer Pablo Torres Barthe, and the political scientist María Zaldívar.[23][24]
Early political career
Rise to prominence
During the 2010s, Milei achieved significant notoriety and public exposure in debates featured on Argentine television programs characterized by insults to his rivals,[25][26][27] foul language,[28][29] and aggressive rhetoric when expressing and debating his ideals and beliefs,[30][31] such as one with Buenos Aires chief of government
Horacio Rodríguez Larreta.[32][33] This led many commentators to label him antipolitical or disruptive.[34]Ted Cruz, a United States senator, shared an interview between
Viviana Canosa [
es] and Milei on Twitter, jokingly proposing to invite him to the
2024 Republican Party presidential debates.[35]
In February 2017, Milei generated controversy by naming
Domingo Cavallo Argentina's best economy minister, a choice that remains contentious due to Cavallo's unfavorable image in the country.[36] In November 2017, he caused a stir by declaring that "the main producer of Argentina's economists is a Marxist indoctrination center", in reference to the
Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, leading to what he called "the ubiquitous proliferation of
Keynesian brutes".[37]
On 26 June 2018, Milei called journalist Teresita Frías a burro (literally "donkey", meaning "ignorant" or "uneducated" in Argentine slang) after she criticized his ideological views as totalitarian.[38][39] As he refused to apologize, Milei was accused of exerting gender violence, and a local court mandated a psychological examination. Family and Gender judge Carmelo Paz forbade him from participating in public gatherings as a panelist or lecturer within the boundaries of the city of
Metan, under the threat of legal action.[40][41] In 2018, he made his acting debut in his play El consultorio de Milei, with Claudio Rico and Diego Sucalesca. In 2019, Noticias named him one of the most influential people in Argentina. In 2020, he spoke in favor of protests against
Alberto Fernández's government.[3]
2021 legislative campaign
From 2020 to 2021, Milei was a member of
Avanza Libertad (Freedom Advances), a political party founded by
José Luis Espert.[42] During his campaign for the
Argentine Chamber of Deputies, Milei focused on Buenos Aires neighborhoods, where he took strolls and had talks with ordinary people.[43] He pledged not to support any tax increases or new taxes.[44] He ran under the slogan "I didn't come here to lead lambs, but to awaken lions", denouncing what he saw as a political caste,[45][46][47] which he said was composed of "useless, parasitic politicians who have never worked".[48] He called politicians "rats", and said they form "a parasitic caste" that thinks only about getting rich.[49] He used phrases like "I'm here to kick these criminals out",[1][50] and was especially supported by youth;[51] he promoted his political views on television, radio, and
YouTube.[3] Additionally, Milei reconciled with his parents.[52]
Upon assuming office as deputy, Milei fulfilled one of his campaign promises by raffling off his salary to a random person each month, aiming to "return money to the citizens". He described this monthly raffle, which is open to anyone,[59][60] as a way to get rid of what he considered dirty money, saying: "The state is a criminal organization that finances itself through taxes levied on people by force. We are returning the money that the political caste stole."[1] His monthly raffle for his salary has given away more than seven million pesos since his parliamentary election.[61] As a national deputy, Milei had been present in the chamber 52 percent of the time as of April 2023.[62] As of August 2023, he had not proposed any laws or joined any parliamentary commissions.[63][61] One of his absences was particularly criticized by the
Juntos por el Cambio opposition because it allowed the national government to raise taxes on plane tickets by a single vote.[64][65][66]
In July 2023, Milei faced an investigation into alleged selling of candidacies within La Libertad Avanza.[67][68] Businessman
Juan Carlos Blumberg said that the coalition "made politics a business", which prompted Milei to deny that there were paid candidates. Milei was also accused of having been funded and supported by
Peronism. Journalist Juan Luis González said that Milei "allowed himself to be financed by provincial governments, received technical, logistical, and monetary aid from the Peronism that he claims to fight, threatened all those who wanted to open their mouths".[69] Statements by the prosecutor Ramiro González did not provide concrete data about the allegations. While the investigation was still progressing as of July 2023, Milei dismissed it as a political operation to discredit him,[70] and demanded that Ramiro González be investigated, accusing him of damaging his image.[71]
A member of the
Libertarian Party, Milei ran for
president of Argentina as part of La Libertad Avanza. His running mate was
Victoria Villarruel.[72][73] His younger sister, Karina Milei, managed his campaign.[3] In May 2022, Milei was rising in the polls.[74] In June 2022, he officially launched his presidential campaign.[75] In March 2023, a poll showed that 17 percent of Argentines would vote for him and that his political coalition would become the third parliamentary force in the Argentine Congress. His rhetoric was attractive to under-30 voters born during the
1998–2002 Argentine great depression and facing the still ongoing
economic stagnation. His supporters include those who once voted for Kirchnerism but would now vote for Milei as a protest even if they did not support his economic ideas.[49]
As inflation rose above 100 percent in May 2023,[76] Milei's position in the polls rose.[77] In June 2023, the markets welcomed
Sergio Massa's presidential candidacy, as it polarized the election between the ruling party and
Juntos por el Cambio, reducing what was called the "Milei factor".[78] Notable moments in Milei's campaign included a viral video of him tearing cards from a wallboard with the names of ministries that he wants to abolish and tossing them into the air as he said afuera ("out"),[79] wielding a
chainsaw on stage,[80] smashing a piñata on air to symbolize his plans, calling
Pope Francis "a filthy leftist", and praising American gangster
Al Capone as "a hero".[81]
In the August 2023 primary elections, which is seen as an indication of how citizens are likely to vote in the October 2023 general election,[82] Milei emerged as the leading candidate,[83][84][85] with 30 percent of the vote, ahead of the traditional Peronism–Kirchnerism and
Macrism that dominated the country in the 2010s.[3] Milei's victory was celebrated by right-wing figures including
Jair Bolsonaro,[85]José Antonio Kast,[85]Ted Cruz,[35] and the Spanish far-right political party
Vox.[86] Polls had predicted that Massa would secure the most votes as a candidate in the primaries, with Juntos por el Cambio expected to be the most supported coalition overall;[87] Milei polled at about 20 percent,[3] and was seen as an outsider candidate.[88][89] Initially, for the first round of the general election, with the possibility of a runoff in November,[90] Peronists saw Milei as a possible ally who would divide the votes of the Juntos por el Cambio coalition.[91]
As a result of his strong performance in the primaries, Milei was considered the front-runner in the general election. His rise has been placed within the context of the last two presidencies, those of
Mauricio Macri and Alberto Fernández. On 22 October, Milei advanced to the runoff, in which he faced Massa,[92] in what polls showed to be a tight race.[93] In the runoff on 19 November, Milei defeated Massa in a landslide,[94][95][96] and in what was called a historic election.[97] It was the highest percentage of the vote since
Argentina's transition to democracy. Observers generally saw Milei's win as a sign more of discontent with the status quo than support for his politics,[81] and his victory was likened to
Donald Trump's in the United States and
Jair Bolsonaro's in Brazil.[98][99] Within the Argentine Congress, Milei's coalition achieved about 20% in the Chamber of Deputies and 10% in the Senate.[100] In his victory speech, Milei pledged a new political era,[101][102] vowing to begin "the reconstruction of Argentina" and end its economic decline.[102]
Milei took office as president on 10 December 2023. In addition to a lack of support in Congress,[103] observers pointed to a 200% inflation rate,[104] rising poverty, and a polarized population as challenges for his presidency.[105] His foreign minister,
Diana Mondino, announced that Argentina would not join the
BRICS bloc of developing economies as planned in 2024.[106] In his first speech as president, Milei warned of an
economic shock, which has been described as
shock therapy in economic terms, to be used as a means to fix Argentina's economic woes.[107][108][109] Following his inauguration, Milei saw his popularity rise. After the first governmental and economic reforms he and his ministers made, 53% of the Argentine people had a good or very good opinion of him, according to a poll by Aresco on 15 December.[110]
First acts
Milei's cabinet includes ministers from
La Libertad Avanza and
Juntos por el Cambio.[111][112][113] In his first acts as president, Milei signed 13 decrees, mostly related to his cabinet members. He also lowered the number of ministries from 18 to 9, and appointed three secretariats with portfolio rank, including his sister to the position of General Secretary of the Presidency, after modifying the law prohibiting the appointment of family members.[114]
Milei signed
Decree 70/2023, deregulating the Argentine economy. It is subject to approval by Congress, which was called for an extraordinary session to be held in the first months of 2024.[115] As part of the measure, an estimated 5,000 public sector employees will be affected.[116] An Argentine court halted the labor reforms that were part of the decree.[117] The CGT also organized a
general strike against the proposed policies involving tens of thousands of Argentine workers on a 12 hour strike which resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights.[118][119]
In a major foreign policy reversal, the Milei administration shelved plans to join
BRICS, which Argentina was slated to join on January 1.[120]
In the same month, Milei approved the transfer of two military
Mi-171E helicopters to Ukraine, that were later received by Ukraine.[122]
On 18 April 2024, the Milei administration formally submitted a request to NATO to become a
NATO global partner.[123]
On 24 April 2024, there has been protests by students over the stopping the funds to universities by the Millei administration.[124]
Economy
Argentina's inflation slowed in February for a second consecutive month, as Milei continued to push austerity and deregulation measures in an effort to revive the country's struggling economy. Argentina's monthly inflation slowed down to 13.2% in February, compared to 20.6% in January and 25.5% in December.[125] Argentina's dollar-denominated international bonds meanwhile reached new highs in March, with the 2029 and 2030 issues close to or at record high prices. The bonds have rallied from lows that took the 2030 issue to 18.125 cents in July 2022, fueled by investor bets that the cabinet of Milei, will be able to successfully transform the Argentine economy.[126]
According to a February 2024 study by the
Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, the poverty rate in January 2024 climbed to 57%, which has been partly attributed to Milei's devaluation of Argentina's currency.[127]
Economically, Milei is influenced by the
Austrian School, a school of economics largely rejected by mainstream economists,[148] and admires former president
Carlos Menem's policies.[149] He supports
capitalism, viewing socialism as embodying envy and coercion.[144] Milei proposes reducing government ministries and addressing economic challenges through spending cuts and fiscal reforms, criticizing previous administrations for excessive spending.[3][150] He has praised the economic policies of former British prime minister
Margaret Thatcher and called her "a great leader".[151][152][153]
Milei has cultivated a complex and controversial public image marked by a blend of
populist, right-wing libertarian, and
conservative ideologies. Known for his
ultra-liberal economic views and
right-wing populist rhetoric, Milei's political stance has been subject to various interpretations by international media and political commentators.[49][50] His rise to prominence during the 2023 presidential campaign, fueled by his primary win, sparked widespread attention,[83][84][85] as did his
central bank abolition and
dollarization proposals.[167]
Milei is known for his flamboyant personality, distinctive personal style, and strong media presence, which at times causes controversy, and his embrace of
conspiracy theories,[168] including the
Cultural Marxism conspiracy theory.[169] He has also called
climate change "a socialist lie" and said that concerns about it are nothing more than "deceptions promoted by the neo-Marxists",[170][171] as are those related to the
attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election.[172] Echoing
Donald Trump, he also claimed electoral fraud ahead of the 2023 presidential runoff.[173][174] Like other right-wing populists, his rhetoric focuses on opposing what he calls "the political caste".[175] Milei's party was criticized for including among his candidates
neo-Nazis and apologists for the last
Argentine military dictatorship.[69] During his political career, Milei has also been involved in several investigations, and has been accused of having a violent attitude toward journalists and critics, as well as of misogynistic behavior, including toward women in journalism.[34]
Milei is a
cosplayer, and has a
superhero persona called "General AnCap".[176] He also champions
free love.[177][178][179] In addition to being nicknamed el Peluca ("The Wig") for his eccentric hair,[180][181][182] which has been compared to that of Trump and fellow right-wing populists
Boris Johnson and
Geert Wilders,[183] Milei is known as el Loco ("The Crazy One").[184] News outlets have called him a "rock singer and tantric sex instructor",[185] a "former tantric sex coach",[85] and a "mixture of a messianic preacher and a rock star",[80] and have likened him to both Trump and
Wolverine.[186] His admirers also call him "The Lion" because of a particular song he sings in his public acts, coupled with his looks (in particular, his long hair).[187][188] In 2024, Time named him one of the
100 most influential people in the world, in which stated that "with Milei in office, there will be no going back for Argentina."[189]
The
chainsaw has become an enduring and popular symbol associated with Milei[190] (he has been called the "chainsaw candidate"[191]), specifically symbolizing his "cutting" of regulations, bureaucracy, and
red tape in Argentina.[192] Some commentators have called Milei's economic policy of cutting regulations "chainsaw economics".[193] Milei's supporters often carry chainsaws at rallies, symbolizing "his promise to cut down the size of the state".[194]
Personal life
Milei is not married and said that, if elected president, he would have his sister take the role of
First Lady of Argentina.[175] In August 2023, Milei announced that he was dating actress
Fátima Flórez.[195] Previously, he dated the singer Daniela Mori.[196]
While raised
Catholic,[197][198][199] Milei has been critical of the Catholic Church under Pope Francis,[200][201] and his disparaging comments about Francis attracted criticism from Catholics.[202][203] Milei also reads the
Torah daily and has visited the grave of Orthodox rabbi
Menachem Mendel Schneerson.[204][205][206] Before November 2023, Milei said he had contemplated
converting to Judaism but that observing the
Jewish Sabbath could pose challenges if he became president.[167][207][208] Upon being elected president, it was reported that Milei intended to convert to Judaism.[199]
Milei owns five
English Mastiffs, with the progenitor being
Conan, who died in 2017 after suffering from
spinal cancer.[69][184][209] He considers Conan his son and has named four of Conan's six
clones, including one named after the original and another named Angelito,[210] Milton (in honor of
Milton Friedman), Murray (in honor of
Murray Rothbard), Robert, and Lucas (both named after
Robert Lucas Jr.).[211][212] Milei said that he cloned Conan because he understands cloning as "a way of approaching eternity".[209] To do this, he went to a clinic in the United States; the process cost him about $50,000.[209] He has called his dogs his “four-legged children” and thanked them after his electoral win.[3][213]
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