Amid criticism of Donald Trump for the imposition of tariff, Brazilian right governors have increasingly appealed to Argentine President Javier Milei as a political and economic reference. The neighbor has been seen as an example by conducting the crisis generated by new American tariffs and his spending cut agenda, while remaining ideologically removed from the Lula administration.
The approach between the Argentine leader and governors who will compete in the estate of former President Jair Bolsonaro in 2026 would be consecrated later this month at a meeting promoted by Consulting House, a group that seeks to connect political leaders to entrepreneurs. Milei’s participation, however, was canceled, according to Globo columnist Lauro Jardim. This, however, would not be the group’s first recent affinity signs with Milei.
Last week, the governor of Santa Catarina, Jorginho Mello (PL), received the Secretary of Tourism, Sport and Environment of Argentina, Daniel Scioli. Former wandering in Brazil during the Bolsonaro government, he left office to join Milei management. Since then, it has been returning to the country to strengthen ties, with actions that include promotional airline tickets for Brazilians who go to cities such as Buenos Aires, bought at Aerolíneas Argentinas, state area company.
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The theme of the conversation with Jorginho was, however, keeping an eye on the opposite route: the attraction of Argentine tourists to the state. Florianópolis was the most sought after Brazilian destination for the summer of 2025, according to the Booking.com hotel reserve platform, and receives a large flow of Argentines.
“Argentina is a great partner. In summer, Santa Catarina becomes an extension of the country. We want to further expand these connections and generate business opportunities,” said Jorginho at the time.
The meeting was not Jorginho’s first with the Argentine government summit. Last year, he received Milei in Balneário Camboriú (SC) for the Conservative Action Conference (CPAC) alongside Bolsonaro. The previous year, both were in Buenos Aires for the inauguration of Milei, with governors such as Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), from São Paulo, and Claudio Castro (PL), from Rio. At the time, Milei’s victory was also celebrated by the governor of Paraná, Ratinho Júnior (PSD). “Freedom won,” he wrote in X.
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The name of the Argentine president was recently revered again by the governor of Goiás, Ronaldo Caiado (Union), as a leadership that sought to negotiate with the US president in the face of tariff:
“Other nations have sat at the table, but Brazil has isolated itself. It is necessary to offer the Brazilian a condition of tranquility. No one else supports this picture of a government that does not do where to protect his country.”
Used to criticize Lula’s performance, the subject has generated embarrassment for Caiado and other right -wing governors who in the past celebrated Trump’s victory. According to data from the genius/Quaest survey, 71% of the population believes that the US president is wrong to impose new rates on Brazil.
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“They now need to balance the dishes because they have to act responsibly with their own states and electoral strongholds, but at the same time they are pressured to stay aligned with their ideological interests,” says Leandro Consenino, political scientist and teacher at Insper.
In addition to Caiado, Tarcisio faces the same dilemma, since São Paulo is the state whose productive sector is one of the most affected by the tariff. At the same time, he tries not to tense the relationship with Bolsonaro’s allies. As soon as American taxation was announced, the governor tried to negotiate with the US embassy, which generated friction with federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP).
The governor of São Paulo also maintains as reference the Argentine president.
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“If you asked me a year ago if Milei could cut 5% of public spending GDP in a year, I would say it’s not possible, but it was,” Tarcisio told Banco Safra event.
For the same reason, the governor of Minas Gerais, Romeu Zema (Novo) praised the stance of the neighbor. In an interview with the newspaper “Folha de S. Paulo”, defended hard cuts of spending, such as Argentina, as a way out to Brazil.
