Populist leader Javier Milei swept to the Argentine presidency in 2023 with 56 per cent of the vote, and a clear mandate to implement his far-right libertarian ideas and take a chainsaw to the state.
The polarising figure – who became internationally renowned for literally toting a chainsaw on stage to illustrate his goals – won big again in the country’s midterm elections last October, with his party securing 40.8 per cent of the nationwide vote.
Nicknamed “El Loco” (The Madman) in his younger days and reportedly basing his shaggy-haired look on Wolverine, Milei has often followed Donald Trump’s playbook. He called the Pope a “leftist son of a bitch”, names Elon Musk as a personal hero and is famous for foul-mouthed tirades against his “bloodsucking” opponents.
Shorts
Trump and Milei have frequently sung each other’s praises, with the unorthodox economist saying that “the world is a better place” following Trump’s rise to the presidency and the latter praising the Argentinian as a “terrific guy” and claiming that he is one of few who can “make Argentina great again”.
