The president of Argentina, Javier Mileyreaffirmed in an interview with The Wall Street Journal last Wednesday (18) his view that the State is “a criminal organization” financed by taxes that no one pays voluntarily. “The State is the enemy, I remain an anarcho-capitalist,” declared Milei, who was elected in 2023 on a platform of radical economic reforms.
Since taking office, Milei has implemented shock measures, including a 50% devaluation of the Argentine peso and the end of price controls on food. These actions, according to him, stabilized inflation and resulted in a rare fiscal surplus in the first 11 months of 2024. “The rule is that there will be no more deficits in Argentina,” he emphasized, highlighting that the budget balance is non-negotiable and will allow tax cuts in the future.
Despite doubts about the sustainability of these policies, especially in an election year, Milei promised to continue reducing public spending and seeks to increase the support of his political base in October’s legislative elections. “Don’t have any doubts,” he said, “I’m not going to stop.”
With the economy showing signs of recovery — such as 3.9% growth in the third quarter of 2024 — Milei projects that Argentina can return to the international financial market in 2026. “We are doing everything to make this happen,” he said.
Although he initially promised to sever ties with China, Milei now calls relations with Beijing “excellent” and plans to visit President Xi Jinping. “China is a trading partner that does not impose conditions,” he commented. Furthermore, he was open to negotiating free trade agreements globally: “All the free trade agreements we can do, we will do.”
International right
Nicknamed The Fool (The Madman), Milei has become a central figure on the rising global right, receiving praise from leaders such as Donald Trump and Elon Musk. He described Musk as “a modern Thomas Edison or Leonardo da Vinci” and highlighted meetings with the billionaire in April and November. However, Milei stated that it is not his role to say where Musk should invest, even though Argentina is one of the world’s largest lithium deposits.
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Milei believes economic improvements will strengthen his support base in Congress, where his La Libertad Avanza party holds about 15% of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and less than 10% in the Senate. His objective, according to him, is to transform Argentina “into the freest country in the world”.
Finally, Milei reiterated his ideological and economic commitment: “I continue to believe that the State is a criminal organization and I will not stop seeking total freedom for Argentina.”
