Trump exchanges a close hug with Argentine President Javier Milei at conservative summit

[Polybius]

Source: Associated Press

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Javier Milei, the fiery, right-wing populist president of Argentina, gave Donald Trump on Saturday an ecstatic hug a day after meeting with Biden administration officials in Buenos Aires.

Trump and Milei were the biggest speakers to wrap up the annual Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington. During their backstage greeting, captured in a video posted by a Trump campaign staffer, Milei shouted “President!” and pulled Trump in for a close hug before they took pictures together.

Milei took office in December after running a campaign inspired by Trump, complete with red “Make Argentina Great Again” hats in a nod to the former president’s own “Make America Great Again” movement. He was the last of several foreign politicians at CPAC to echo popular Trump themes on issues like migration and the perceived threat of socialism.

In the video, Trump tells Milei, “Make Argentina Great Again.” Milei then uttered his famous phrase, “Long live freedom, damn it!”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-milei-cpac-argentina-biden-f8e97d401a13318f8cc55faf29021030

[Richard D]

1. Yet another wannabe fascist . . .

[peppertree]

2. Cheeto and Chucky.

[TexasBushwhacker]

4. Does he have the same barber as Boris Johnson? N/t

[peppertree]

8. If only! It's his sister.

Milei is now 53 - but has never had a long-term relationship of any kind (he might even be a virgin).

Like Caligula, his sister acts as a kind of nurse and witch doctor - acting as his confidante and closest adviser, tending to his nervous breakdowns, and dispelling what he believes to be curses against him.

(yes - it's that bad)

I will say in his defense that his very nationalistic father beat him mercilessly as a child - but it doesn't entitle him to punish his (already-struggling) country for receiving the love his father denied him, that's for sure.

Cry for Argentina, Texas Bushwhacker.

[Richard D]

7. keyboard ruined

[peppertree]

9. Why, thank you Richard.

We laugh to keep from crying sometimes.

[Richard D]

10. Too true these days. (nt)

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. Nazis in love!!! n/t

[PatSeg]

3. So many authoritarian wannabes mimicking Trump

Maybe they should have waited awhile to see how things turn out? Trump's political career is not exactly something to emulate so far.

[Polybius]

5. Well, I guess he didn't have to wait

He was just elected this past November.

[maxrandb]

11. It is time to play hardball with these asspickles

I wish no harm to the good people of Argentina, but the United States should pull all civil and military liaisons, ambassador and staff out of Argentina. Cancel any and all US Navy port visits, cancel any and all joint military exercises, cancel student and work Visas, suspend any economic aid, and slap a massive tariff on all Argentinian imports, suspend any government contracts with Argentinian businesses and call in any held Argentinian debt.

You want to hug a fucking authoritarian dipshit?

FAFO

I thought we learned our lesson when we didn't stomp fascism in its infancy in 1931 Germany and Italy.

Like Barney Fife said; "Nip it in the bud"

[Polybius]

12. Strongly disagree

Javier Milei is to the left of Trump, and a strong supporter of Zelenskyy and Ukraine. He may have fascist tendencies at times, but he was legitimately elected President by the people of Argentina in 2023. He's their leader, nothing we can do about it.

It doesn't mean we have to love every leader because we work with them.

[peppertree]

15. On the contrary - he's FAR to the right of Trump. And a MAJOR U.S foreign policy embarrassment.

Ukraine lip-service is just a sop he throws at Washington (whom he thinks of as idiots) - and which he would reverse on a dime, the second Trump got back into office.

Controlled by his witch-doctor sister and doing nothing but tweet in his underpants all day, Milei's deliberately throwing Argentina into a deep depression - because he thinks he can then dollarize the country based mostly on his inability to understand the difference between M1 and M3 (Econ 101 stuff, as you know).

So - he's basically wrecking the little that still worked for them, for nothing.

Meanwhile, he's refusing to honor federal revenue sharing commitments - besides ruling by decree, refusing to enforce labor laws and even auto registration laws (a wish-list item for narcos), defunding soup kitchens (because they're "embarrassing&quot , and shutting down the anti-discrimination office.

Cry for Argentina, Polybius.

[Polybius]

16. Still not as bad as Nicols Maduro n/t

[peppertree]

17. True - but not by much.

Keep in mind, also, that that wasn't their other option.

The candidate he defeated, Sergio Massa, kept the economy afloat (if barely) through the worst drought down there in a century - and was close to Democrats (who sent Dan Restrepo, Jessica Reis and Bob Gibbs to advise his campaign).

Milei got help from U.S. spinmeisters, too: led by Roger Stone (hence Milei's appearance at CPAC this weekend).

He won by basically promising voters all the dollars they wanted.

Instead, they got a depression - and Idi Amin-style misrule. And dollars? Those who've saved them, are now selling them to pay for basic necessities - and to keep the young'uns in private school (away from the brown kids).

Elections have consequences. It'll take them a decade just to recover from this.

[peppertree]

14. Well said. He's nothing but a foreign policy liability for the U.S.

The people at BRICS are having nothing but a gigantic laugh at this Chucky doll - who's thrown his country into a deep depression, while ruling by decree and doing nothing all day but tweeting insults in his underpants.

They know that the more they can tie Washington to Milei, the easier it'll be for them to secure agreements with other 3rd-world nations - just as they did during the similar (albeit milder) Macri debacle in 2016-19.

Milei's like a white Idi Amin - but without the sense of humor.

And now, he's declared war on his own provinces - who are now threatening to withhold oil and gas supplies in response.

Talk of impeachment is already in the air - just 10 weeks into his regime. It's either that, or food riots.

[Prairie Gates]

13. Oh, a "close" hug?

Is that a thing? A close hug?

[peppertree]

18. Probably the first one that 53 year-old virgin has had in a while

And this is Argentina - where people will bear-hug you on just meeting you (the second time, they'll groan while they do it too!).

If I were them though, I'd check Milei's Miami bank accounts (or ask Biden to). They've got "deposit your emoluments here" written all over them.