Europe promised to strike back. China planned its own tariffs. Mexico rushed to soften the impact. As world leaders reacted strongly to President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports, Argentina’s conservative president was celebrating at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
Eager to strengthen ties with Trump, Argentine President Javier Milei flew from his southern nation to Palm Beach for a one-day trip to accept an award recognizing his libertarian policies. He also hoped to meet with Trump at the “American Patriot” event.
“Make Argentina Great Again!” Milei shouted from the ballroom stage at Mar-a-Lago late Thursday.
This would have marked their fourth meeting since Trump’s win last November. Milei, who has launched strict economic reforms to stabilize Argentina’s troubled economy, presents himself as a strong supporter of Trump in the global fight against the left.
Argentina watches and waits Experts say it’s unclear whether Milei’s close bond with Trump will actually help Argentina’s struggling economy.
“He has a special relationship with Trump that has been good for him politically, but he needs to translate that into being good for the country economically,” said Marcelo J. García, director for the Americas at Horizon Engage, a geopolitical consultancy based in New York. “He hasn’t managed to do that yet.”
Earlier, Milei took Argentina out of the World Health Organization after the U.S. made the same move.
He warned of leaving the Paris climate agreement after Trump did. He banned gender change treatments for minors following Trump’s ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports. He even promoted a crypto token resembling the $Trump coin — a decision that sparked political backlash.
Milei has spoken out against socialism and feminism at events worldwide, including the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he presented Elon Musk with a giant chainsaw modeled after one used during his 2023 campaign. These actions have helped build his image as a MAGA figure.
While Trump’s tariffs were drawing criticism globally, Milei, dressed in a tuxedo, stood beside a painting of Trump’s raised fist and embraced the chance to show support for the former U.S. president.
“As you can see, we conduct policy with actions, not mere words, and on that we agree with President Donald Trump,” Milei told the audience at Mar-a-Lago, speaking in Spanish and receiving loud applause at the mention of Trump.
President Donald TrumpMilei backs Trump’s tariff
In Argentina’s capital, Milei’s government tried to align Trump’s broad tariff plan with its own libertarian belief in free trade.
“We do not believe this is an attack on free trade, quite the opposite,” said Milei’s spokesperson, Manuel Adorni. “I don’t see why there should be so much concern about this.”
Argentina still faced a 10% minimum tariff. But officials presented this as better treatment than other countries received. The front page of Clarín, Argentina’s biggest newspaper, read: “Trump raises the tax on our products less than on other countries.”
In Washington, Argentine Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein held what he called “highly productive” talks with top U.S. officials Jamieson Greer and Howard Lutnick. He issued optimistic statements suggesting that Argentina was working toward a free trade agreement with the U.S.
Argentina seeks IMF relief
More pressing for Milei than a trade deal is a $20 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. This funding is crucial to support his economic plans as the country faces pressure from low foreign currency reserves.
Milei has used his authority to bypass Congress and fast-track a new IMF deal. But the loan hasn’t been finalized, with talks continuing over how much of the money Argentina will receive immediately. The country has a history of defaults and already owes the IMF around $44 billion.
On Wednesday, amid these efforts, Milei and his economy minister boarded a flight to the U.S., the IMF’s biggest shareholder. He told reporters he expected “an informal meeting” with Trump, who had helped Argentina secure a major $56 billion loan from the IMF in 2018.
Unclear if Trump and Milei met But by Friday, there was no sign of Milei’s expected meeting with Trump in his press team’s photo collection from the Mar-a-Lago event.
His office gave no updates about whether the meeting happened and did not respond to multiple requests for clarification.
Trump showed up later than planned Thursday after attending an event at one of his golf courses near Miami. The White House gave no details about any interaction between the two leaders.
Major newspapers in Argentina cited unnamed officials saying the meeting never took place. That led to criticism from political rivals.
“When I woke up, I thought I’d find on TV the photo-op with your ‘friend’ Trump that you went looking for,” wrote former left-wing President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner on social media. “What a way to mess around and spend money on nothing.”
