Javier Milei is supported by Elon Musk – but the protest is huge

One million are expected to protest today

BUENOS AIRES. He has divided Argentina.

Now Javier Milei confronts the entire Western world.

– The state is not the solution. The state is the problem, says Argentina’s president in an incendiary speech before the financial elite in Switzerland.

Now he is supported by Elon Musk with a nude picture – at the same time as a huge protest is going on.

– This could be the beginning of an authoritarian dictatorship, says Buenos Aires resident Marianela Trotta to Aftonbladet.

When Javier Miley53, was elected as Argentina’s new president in December, it went down like a bomb.

In just a few years, the economist had gone from a fiery, confrontational television commentator to becoming the first president in world history to call himself an anarcho-libertarian.

He hates the state and wants to privatize every single sector.

But it is not necessarily the ultra-liberal stance that has given him the nickname “el loco”, i.e. the madman.

Because no, there is no shortage of controversy.

FACT That’s why Milei is called the madman

Read more 18 million in poverty

Argentina is in a deep economic crisis.

Inflation in 2023 was 211 percent. Higher than, for example, Venezuela’s.

It is estimated that approximately 40 percent of the population lives in poverty, i.e. over 18 million people.

Dissatisfaction with the country’s politicians has at times boiled over. A big reason why Milei was able to win 55.7 percent of the vote – the biggest electoral victory since Argentina returned to democracy in 1983 – is said to be that the people are desperate for change after years of economic failure and corruption.

And there has probably been a change.

The “shock” has led to an outcry

Just ten days into the presidency, Javier Milei signed a presidential decree, or his “shock measures” as he himself calls them.

It includes around 300 sweeping economic reforms and deregulations, with privatization of state-owned companies, repeal of climate and environmental laws, loosened protections for tenants and much, much more.

This so-called “megadecree” has had various consequences.

In part, the International Monetary Fund, IMF, has noted that Milei’s government “acted quickly and decisively to restore macroeconomic stability”. Argentina is the country in the world with the highest debt to the IMF, at 43 billion dollars, according to The Economist.

On the one hand, it has led to an outcry from parts of the Argentine population, led by the trade union federation CGT.

Huge protest

As Argentina’s appeals court overturned some labor law changes in the decree, Milei countered with a new bill.

This would give legislative “superpowers” to the executive until 2025, when he expects Argentina to exit the current state of emergency.

– This could be the beginning of an authoritarian dictatorship, says Marianela Trotta, 23, to Aftonbladet.

She and boyfriend Martin Groisman, 23, are participating today in the first general strike as well as the demonstration against Milei’s government.

During Wednesday, the streets were filled to the brim with protesters in Buenos Aires. Hundreds of thousands protest against the government and the congressional building is protected by heavily equipped police.

– My main reason for participating is that the measures that have been taken affect the poor the most and benefit those who have the most money. Those are the consequences of this policy, says Martin.

– My motive is that Argentina has voted for a president who makes laws without consulting Congress and without the other parties being allowed to vote. I don’t want all the power to rest with one person, says Marianela.

Do you think it will be violent?

– It will be verbally violent, absolutely. Let’s hope it doesn’t become physically violent as well, says Martin Groisman, who is afraid that the government will use infiltrators in the protest march.

– They are always the ones who throw stones and start fires to give the police an excuse to start fighting.

“Supports Milei 100 percent”

Milei himself said earlier this week that the protest exemplifies the two sides of Argentina that exist today:

The one who wants to stay in the decadence of the past.

And the other that leads to development.

It is obvious which side he is on and there are still many, if not most, who are with him.

– I support Milei 100 percent, says Xavier, a 34-year-old taxi driver in Buenos Aires, to Aftonbladet.

– There has been far too much corruption and bad economic decisions for Argentina in the past. We need something new.

What do you think of the demonstration?

– We live in a democratic country. Of course they have the right to demonstrate. I just hope it doesn’t get violent.

Solidarity protests will take place in many other cities around the world, such as in Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Valencia, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Rome, Bogotá and more, according to Buenos Aires Times.

“The West is in danger”

This will be the second time in a short time that Javier Milei’s policies have received a large global echo.

At the end of last week he gave a speech during the World Economic Forum in Davos, which he opened with his typical dramaturgical style:

– I am here today to tell you that the Western world is in danger.

He then went into a 20-minute long attack on the West’s alleged socialism which, he says, condemns people to poverty.

– Argentina is an example that no matter how rich you may be, how much natural resources you have and how skilled your population is; if you prevent a free market with free pricing, the only potential outcome is poverty.

Milei also took the opportunity to condemn the radical feminist agenda of the West, criticize the right to abortion, reject the “parasites that live on the state” and question unreasonable measures to “protect nature at all costs”.

The speech, it then ended as they always do:

– Long live freedom, for hell.

Musk: “So horny right now”

The reactions were not long in coming.

Donald Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform:

“Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, who really loves his country, is working hard. He inherited a total disaster, but he makes MAGA (Mage Argentina great again).

Many right-liberal debaters, including Ben Shapiro, have too dedicated videos to pay tribute to Milei’s fiery speech.

But the most notable tribute probably came from Elon Musk, who posted a humorous nude meme along with the text:

“So hot rn”, loosely translated to “so horny right now”.

Musk also shared the speech in its entirety, describing it as “a good explanation of what makes nations more or less prosperous.”

“Don’t want to believe in civil war”

In Argentina, as usual, it has divided the country.

For the young couple Marianela Trotta and Martin Groisman, the whole thing is embarrassing.

– Everything he doesn’t agree with he calls socialism. From feminism and abortion to environmental issues, says Martin.

Nor are they surprised by Elon Musk’s accolades.

– I mean, the batteries for the Tesla cars need lithium and we have one of the largest reserves here. Apparently he wants access to lithium. But they also share many ideas, says Marianela.

With this whole situation that you have now, with Milei as president and an Argentina divided into two camps: How does it make you feel?

– I feel most disappointed with the Argentinians. I understand that we are in a bad time but… this man is crazy, says Martin.

– I feel fear. Unfortunately, I do not think that this policy will save the country, but will lead to more people living in hunger and that the gaps will increase. I don’t want to believe in civil war, but this could be a start, says Marianela.