Argentina’s Milei backs Trump for US midterms, calls vote crucial for West
The US President's ally says conservatives “cannot give an inch” in Latin America as he accepts an award in Washington.
Key points
- Argentine President Javier Milei urged US President Donald Trump to emerge stronger from November's midterm elections, calling the vote crucial for the West.
- Milei spoke Wednesday at a Hispanic Heritage gala in Washington, where he received an award, and is set to address the US Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.
- Trump's backing and a $20bn currency swap helped Milei in Argentina's 2025 legislative elections, but the support drew criticism from US Democrats.
Argentine President Javier Milei has publicly backed US President Donald Trump ahead of November's midterm elections, saying the vote is crucial for the West. Milei made the appeal on Wednesday at a Hispanic Heritage gala in Washington, where a Hispanic association gave him an award.
Milei flew to the US capital on Wednesday for investor meetings and the gala. He is scheduled to address the US Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.
Milei's message to conservatives
At the gala, Milei said conservatives "cannot give an inch in our reconquest of the hemisphere," according to Agence France-Presse. He urged Trump to come out of the midterms in a stronger position, framing the vote as important for the West as a whole.
cannot give an inch in our reconquest of the hemisphere
— Javier Milei
Trump's past support for Milei
Trump firmly backed Milei a year ago when Argentina held crucial legislative elections. He has called Milei his "favorite president." That support, along with a currency swap with the US Treasury, helped Milei succeed in those polls, analysts have argued.
The swap, announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, was a $20bn exchange of dollars for pesos with Argentina's central bank. It came shortly after Milei's party lost a key provincial election. Trump said at the time that the support depended on a Milei victory, stating, "If he wins, we're staying with him. And if he doesn't win, we're gone." He also warned the US would not be "generous" if Milei lost. The remarks unsettled Argentine markets, with the main stock index falling about 2 percent, according to The Associated Press.
The package drew criticism in the US, with Democratic lawmakers accusing Trump of prioritising a foreign bailout while the US government was shut down.
