Argentina's Milei insults socialism on first visit to Brazil
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Argentina's President Milei attends a rally including the far-right Bolsonaro in Brazil instead of meeting Lula during the Mercosur summit in Paraguay.
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Javier Milei attends a presidential candidate debate ahead of the October general election in Santiago del Estero, Argentina on October 1, 2023. (AP)
Argentina's Javier Milei slammed socialism on his first trip to Brazil as president, stating it creates corruption and diminishes liberties, during his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Sunday.
Milei abstained from attending Monday's Mercosur trade bloc presidential summit in Paraguay, where he was scheduled to formally meet Brazil's leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Milei instead attended the conservative rally held by Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro, the first major opposition event ahead of this year's municipal elections, which gathered support for Bolsonaro and united right-wing politicians.
This further strained Milei's relationship with Lula and the Brazilian government, especially following the Argentinian president insulting Lula by calling him "corrupt" and a "communist" last week on X.
EL PERFECTO DINOSAURIO IDIOTA
— Javier Milei (@JMilei) July 2, 2024
1. Se come la curva en el caso Bolivia y me critica por no declarar de modo inmediato;
2. Se conoce el fraude montado en Bolivia y el perfecto idiota, en lugar de aceptar su error me critica por dejar su estupidez a la vista;
3. Luego de las…
During his speech at the CPAC, Milei refrained from mentioning Lula despite Bolsonaro's supporters' demanding that the president be imprisoned and Bolsonaro placed back in power.
Bolsonaro is banned from running for office until 2030 due to an ongoing investigation for the alleged crimes he committed during his presidential term, as well as his attacks on democracy.
The event was also attended by multiple right-wing conservative politicians from the Americas, including Chile's former presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast, former Bolivian MP Branko Marinkovic, and politicians from Portugal and El Salvador.
Milei labels the Spanish prime minister's wife as 'corrupt'
This also wasn't the first time Milei insulted a head of state while visiting their country.
In late May, Spain recalled its ambassador to Buenos Aires for consultations following derogatory comments made by Milei about Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife, Begona Gomez.
The incident occurred during a far-right rally in Madrid organized by the Vox party, where Milei labeled Gomez as "corrupt."
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares demanded an apology from Milei and criticized his behavior as severely damaging the relationship between Spain and Argentina.
"With his behavior, Milei has brought the relationship between Spain and Argentina to its most serious state in recent history," Albares said in a statement.
Other Spanish ministers condemned Milei's speech, in which he also described socialism as "cursed and carcinogenic."
Milei's spokesperson later stated that the president would not apologize and suggested that Spanish officials should retract their insults against him.
Milei's visit to Madrid breached diplomatic protocol as he refused meetings with Spain's King Felipe and Prime Minister Sanchez, instead promoting his book alongside Vox leader Santiago Abascal.
Milei insults Colombian counterpart
Also in March, and following a CNN interview where the Argentine President labeled his Colombian counterpart a "terrorist murderer," the Colombian government instructed the expulsion of all Argentine diplomats from its embassy in Bogota.
In a statement, the Colombian Foreign Ministry said, “The Argentine president’s expressions have deteriorated the trust of our nation and offended the dignity of President (Gustavo) Petro, who was elected democratically.”
Milei had made the remarks during a comprehensive interview with Andres Oppenheimer of CNN en Español and the Miami Herald.
Regarding Petro, a former guerilla who secured Colombia's first left-wing presidency after winning the 2022 election, Milei remarked, "You can't expect much from someone who was a terrorist murderer."
In the interview, Milei also targeted Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, labeling him as "ignorant".
López Obrador, a left-wing populist, has previously criticized Milei's policies and likened him to a "dictator". Responding on May 23 via social media, López Obrador questioned why Argentinians “voted for someone who is not right, who despises the people.”
