Climate change skeptic, liberal ideology critic, Elon Musk fan, hyperactive on social media, ardent supporter of Israel: Argentine President Javier Milley copies his American counterpart Donald Trump in almost every area.
Argentina, like the United States in January, announced yesterday that it was leaving the World Health Organization (WHO). Milley echoed his American counterpart's dithyrambs, criticizing the “mismanagement“ of the WHO in the COVID-19 pandemic or its “inability to demonstrate independence“.
According to Andrea Oelsner, a professor of international relations at the University of “San Andrés“ in Buenos Aires, this decision is “another sign“ of a return to the policy of “automatic copying“ of the US, led by President Carlos Menem (1989-1999), who ruled after the end of the dictatorship.
According to her, Milley's arguments, with which he justified his withdrawal from the WHO, claiming that the organization encroaches on Argentina's sovereignty, "are a way to get closer to Trump."
Skepticism regarding climate change
Like Donald Trump, who promised to "explore for hydrocarbons at all costs," Javier Milley has repeatedly stated that he considers global warming a "cycle" and not a "consequence of human activity."
After Trump's re-election in November, Argentina withdrew its meager delegation sent to Baku for the climate conference. COP29. So, will Argentina, like the US, withdraw from the Paris Agreement? “We are in the process of evaluating“, but “there is no decision“, the presidential spokesman replied.
The first foreign leader to visit the newly elected Republican president at his private estate in “Mar a Lago“ after his victory in November, Javier Milley nevertheless supported the need for a significant increase in funding to combat climate change at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Opponent of liberal ideology
Like Trump, Milley has spoken out against what he calls the “virus of liberal ideology“, waging a “cultural battle“ and attacking “radical feminism“ and "gender ideology", whose "ultimate version" according to him is "child abuse".
He closed the National Institute for Combating Discrimination, thus prohibiting the use of inclusive language in the army and administration.
The Argentine government intends to repeal the possibility of changing gender identity by simply submitting a declaration, which has been in effect since 2012, as well as "gender-neutral" identity documents, which will be mandatory from 2021. offer the “Hicks“ option.
The government intends to ban sex reassignment treatment and surgery for minors, which was allowed by a 2012 law.
In his inauguration speech on January 20, Trump said that his government would recognize only two genders - male and female. He also limited sex reassignment procedures to people under the age of 19 and intends to ban transgender people from serving in the military.
Musk fan
Milley shares Trump's deep admiration for the head of “X“, “Tesla“ and “SpaceX“ Elon Musk, whom he describes as “Thomas Edison of the 21st century“. He is also ahead of his American counterpart when it comes to draconian cuts to public spending.
Elon Musk, who Donald Trump has tasked with cutting federal spending in the US, praised the “chainsaw” Millay and said that thanks to him, Argentina had taken a “giant step forward“.
Social media extremes
The American and Argentine presidents are known for their sharp language on social media.
The list of epithets used by Millay is long, whether it is about his opponents (“rats“, “degenerates“, “rotten caste“, “monkeys“, “dirty gauchos“), journalists (“cops“, “sellers“, “criminals with microphones“), economists (“fraudsters“) or unionists („thieves“).
This list is reminiscent of Trump in his criticism of the media and his opponents, as well as his slogan „let's drain the swamp“, a leitmotif of his 2016 campaign, which testifies to his desire to shake up the elite in Washington.
Unconditional support for Israel
Although raised in a Catholic family, Javier Millay says he became close to Judaism, studying the Torah on his own, without changing his faith. He considers Israel and the United States to be his two great natural allies.
During his visit to Israel last year, Milley announced his intention to move Argentina's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as Trump did in 2017, and to unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He also compared the "Hamas" attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, to the Holocaust.
Translated from French: Alexei Margoevsky, BTA