The day after President Trump antagonized world leaders throughout the globe together with his most sweeping set of tariffs but, he was scheduled to fly to Florida and doubtlessly see the one chief he has known as his “favorite president.”
That chief, President Javier Milei of Argentina, had flown in a single day to obtain an award on Thursday at a right-wing gala at Mar-a-Lago. Mr. Trump was scheduled to even be there late Thursday — Mr. Milei mentioned Mr. Trump would obtain an award, too — and Mr. Milei mentioned he hoped the 2 would meet.
It was Mr. Milei’s tenth journey to america in 15 months as president, and almost each time, he has met Mr. Trump or Elon Musk.
Mr. Trump has posited that he’s reshuffling U.S. international coverage strictly round what is nice for america.
So what could be puzzling about his elevation of Argentina to the entrance row of America’s allies — Mr. Milei and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy had been the one world leaders onstage at Mr. Trump’s inauguration — is that the chronically distressed South American nation just isn’t notably essential as an financial or geopolitical accomplice.
As a substitute, by means of Mr. Milei, Argentina has provided Mr. Trump one thing else he seems to crave: adoration.
“I really like him as a result of he loves Trump,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Milei in a speech final 12 months. “Anyone that loves me, I like them.”
Mr. Milei has repeatedly and publicly lauded Mr. Trump. He has posted doctored pictures of them embracing. He has gifted Mr. Musk a custom chain saw. And when Mr. Milei turned the primary world chief to go to Mr. Trump after the U.S. election, he danced round Mar-a-Lago and informed the gang, “At this time the world is a a lot better place.”
Carlos Kikuchi, a conservative speak radio host in Argentina who helped run Mr. Milei’s marketing campaign, mentioned that, to the Argentine chief, “having such a easy relationship with Trump and Musk is like touching heaven.”
Mr. Milei has translated his devotion into coverage. Weeks after Mr. Trump mentioned he would pull america from the World Well being Group, Mr. Milei did the same with Argentina.
After Mr. Trump exited the Paris Local weather Settlement, Mr. Milei’s authorities said it was looking into doing so, too. Mr. Milei fired his first international minister as a result of she voted on the United Nations — as Argentina all the time had — in opposition to the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
And after Mr. Trump started criticizing Ukraine — a nation Mr. Milei had steadfastly supported for years — Argentina abstained from a U.N. vote to sentence Russia for its invasion.
Mr. Milei has additionally turn out to be one of many loudest voices within the tradition wars, occurring a worldwide talking tour of types to assault leftists, feminists and transgender folks, and to laud Mr. Trump because the champion who will, in Mr. Milei’s telling, save the West from “woke ideology.”
“Each time we meet with President Trump, he all the time says, ‘I like this man,’” Gerardo Werthein, Argentina’s new international minister, said this week. “He all the time says, ‘He’s MAGA like me: Make Argentina Nice Once more.’”
Mr. Trump has praised Mr. Milei’s work in stabilizing Argentina’s financial system. Certainly, Mr. Milei has succeeded in lowering inflation, growing progress and balancing the funds.
But, for america, Argentina stays an ungainly match as a strategic accomplice. The nation of 46 million is geographically separated from a lot of the world and has been caught for many years in cycles of financial disaster.
The 2 international locations additionally promote most of the similar issues: corn, wheat, soybeans, meat, oil. Commerce between them fell 8.6 p.c to $16.3 billion final 12 months. Argentina ranks thirty sixth globally in shopping for American exports, based on the Observatory of Financial Complexity, a analysis group.
On Wednesday, Argentina, was nonetheless hit with the ten p.c minimal levy utilized to just about each nation.
However Mr. Milei, who describes himself as a radical libertarian, discovered a vivid facet. “Mates will probably be buddies,” he wrote on social media, linking to the Queen tune after which sharing posts arguing that Argentina had gained a bonus over international locations hit with larger tariffs.
Arguably the most important potential prize for america is Argentina’s giant stockpiles of strategic minerals, together with lithium, a vital part of renewable batteries. American and Chinese language corporations are main gamers in Argentina’s increasing lithium mines, and Tesla — run by Mr. Musk — buys Argentine lithium for its electric-car batteries.
U.S. diplomats have urged the Milei administration to maneuver away from China, together with by limiting China’s entry to lithium and rare-earth elements, based on a former senior Milei administration official and senior U.S. diplomat who spoke anonymously to debate personal talks.
But Argentina’s trade with China has increased beneath Mr. Milei, and China stays a bigger buying and selling accomplice than america, shopping for soybeans, silver and beef.
Up to now, then, it might be Mr. Milei who has gained probably the most from the brand new friendship.
Argentina is searching for a $20 billion mortgage from the Worldwide Financial Fund and, because the fund’s largest stakeholder, Washington holds the important thing vote. Argentine officers have mentioned they anticipate to have Mr. Trump’s help.
Lucía Cholakian Herrera contributed reporting.
