by Frances Martel
Argentine President Javier Milei met former American President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, their first in-person meeting ever and the culmination of a year of mutual support and praise in public.
Both were in Maryland to address the conference – Trump delivering his traditional high-energy speech addressing his ongoing presidential campaign and Milei abandoning his more popular delivery style to issue an hour-long treatise on economic theory. Milei and Trump reportedly met following Trump’s speech, in which Trump took a moment to recognize and celebrate Milei as a “great gentleman” and “fabulous guy.”
Milei published a video on social media on Saturday of the two leaders meeting. “Make Argentina Great Again!” Trump exclaimed, which Milei opted for his campaign slogan, “¡Viva la libertad, carajo!” (“Long live liberty, damn it!”).
The two men greeted each other with a warm hug after Trump concluded his address to the conference, the Argentine newspaper Clarín detailed, as the Village People’s “YMCA” blasted on the speakers. Milei reportedly told Trump that he had been “very generous” to him during his presidential campaign in 2023, adding, “thank you for all the work you did for me.” Milei also described him as a “great president” and reportedly expressed hope that Trump would once again return to the role.