"Will Make Argentina Great" Message Delivered
Millei Candidate Nicknamed 'Argentina Trump' Locally
In the Argentine presidential election, the victory of far-right party 'Frente Libertad' candidate Javier Milei (53) has been confirmed, and former U.S. President Donald Trump sent him a congratulatory message. Milei is nicknamed 'Argentina's Trump' locally.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is running in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, is giving a speech with a playful expression on the 23rd (local time) at the New England Sports Center in Derry, New Hampshire. Although New Hampshire has only 4 presidential electors out of the total 538, the primary here, along with the Iowa caucus, serves as a barometer to gauge the direction of the race. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 19th (local time), former President Trump posted on his social media platform 'Truth Social,' which he founded, saying, "The whole world is watching. I am very proud of you (Milei)" and "You will change your country and truly make Argentina great again."
At the time when 91.81% of the votes were counted in the runoff election, Milei secured 55.86% of the votes. He effectively defeated the ruling party candidate Sergio Massa (51), who received 44.13%, thus clinching the victory.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s congratulatory message posted on social media (SNS) [Image source=Captured from X]
In the previous month's general election, Milei trailed Massa with 29.99% to 36.78%, but in the runoff between the top two candidates, he staged a comeback.
Milei is known as an 'eccentric politician' even in Argentina. He has performed the so-called 'chainsaw performance,' promising drastic cuts in government spending, and has expressed views rejecting the theory of global warming, drawing comparisons to former President Trump. Locally, he is called 'Argentina's Trump.'
Despite controversies, the reason Argentine voters chose him appears to be the severe economic crisis citizens are currently facing. Argentina's cumulative inflation reached 142.7% as of last September. The peso has repeatedly plummeted in the international foreign exchange market.
Amid this, Milei proposed the radical pledge to adopt the U.S. dollar as the official currency instead of the peso and to dismantle the Central Bank of Argentina. He also announced plans to allow gun sales, distance Argentina from countries like China and Brazil, and strengthen diplomatic ties with the United States.
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