Topline
President Donald Trump praised his Argentinian counterpart, Javier Milei, whose party scored a major electoral victory in the South American country’s midterm legislative elections on Sunday, after the Trump administration handed the libertarian leader’s government a major financial lifeline earlier this month.
U.S. President Donald Trump greets President of Argentina Javier Milei as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House.
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Key Facts
Milei’s right-wing libertarian La Libertad Avanza party secured more than 40% of the votes cast in Sunday’s election, beating out the left-leaning Peronist coalition, which received 31%.
The results mean La Libertad Avanza will gain 64 seats for a total of 92 in Argentina’s 257-member Chamber of Deputies, which is enough to protect Milei’s veto power over any legislation.
In his victory speech, Milei claimed he now has the support of 101 members of the lower chamber and 20 senators, which will allow him to pursue his spending cuts, tax, and labor reforms.
In his speech, Milei told his supporters that the election marked a “turning point” for the country and added: “Today we begin the construction of a great Argentina.”
Shortly after Milei’s electoral victory, Trump made a post on Truth Social, saying: “Congratulations to President Javier Milei on his Landslide Victory in Argentina. He is doing a wonderful job! Our confidence in him was justified by the People of Argentina.”]
The president also reshared a X post citing a comment from the Peronist coalition’s leadership, which described Trump as Millei’s “campaign chief.”
What Else Did Trump Say About Millei’s Win?
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One while flying to Japan on Monday, Trump was asked about Millei’s win and said he wanted to “congratulate the victor, and he was a big victor, and he had a lot of help from us.” The president’s remarks were refering to a $40 billion financial lifeline his administration extended to the Latin American country’s struggling economy. Trump had conditioned the economic bailout package on a strong showing for his close ideological ally Millei’s party. On Monday, Trump appeared to take credit for Millei’s big win, saying: “I gave him an endorsement, very strong endorsement, and it was really unexpected…people thought it would be hard [for Millei] to win, and not only did he win, he won by a lot.”