Milei Heading to Pro-Trump Event as Blinken Mulls Argentina Trip

[Judi Lynn]

Patrick Gillespie
Thu, February 15, 2024 at 8:46 PM CST·2 min read

(Bloomberg) -- Argentine President Javier Milei will travel to Washington to deliver a speech at a conference full of Donald Trump supporters the same week that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reportedly weighing a visit to Buenos Aires.

Patrick Gillespie
Thu, February 15, 2024 at 8:46 PM CST·2 min read

(Bloomberg) -- Argentine President Javier Milei will travel to Washington to deliver a speech at a conference full of Donald Trump supporters the same week that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is reportedly weighing a visit to Buenos Aires.

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The Conservative Political Action Conference confirmed on its website that Milei will speak at its annual event that goes from Feb. 21-24. An exact date for the speech wasn’t published and Milei’s press office hasn’t released an agenda for the trip, though Milei told Bloomberg News last week he intended to go.

Argentine newspaper La Nacion reported Wednesday that Blinken will travel to Buenos Aires next week, though a precise date wasn’t given. The State Department hasn’t confirmed if Blinken will visit. Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols met with Milei’s cabinet chief in Argentina last week.

The timing of the two trips risks straining relations between the Milei and Biden administrations. Milei’s speech would be given to an audience full of conservative activists who oppose Biden’s re-election and have tightly embraced Trump’s candidacy.

While Milei’s libertarian bent puts his ideology more in a traditional Republican party camp, he can’t afford to alienate the current Democratic administration: Argentina counts on US support at the International Monetary Fund for its $44 billion program. Milei met in November with Biden administration officials in Washington, and has received a steady flow of US visitors since taking office Dec. 10.

More:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/milei-heading-pro-trump-event-024628977.html