The Argentine president, Javier Milei, gave a class on libertarian economics, sang rock and roll and beat up opponents on Wednesday during the presentation of his latest book in a stadium in Buenos Aires, before thousands of followers who insulted the head of the Spanish government , Pedro Sánchez, in the midst of diplomatic friction between historically allied countries.
Dressed in a leather jacket, shirt and tie, Milei took the stage at the Luna Park indoor stadium and was greeted by more than 10,000 fans with a thunderous cry of “freedom, freedom.” Meanwhile, a rock band began to play the first chords of the song “Panic Show,” by the popular local group La Renga, which Milei used as an anthem during her presidential campaign.
The president took the microphone and sang the song that begins like this: “Hello everyone, I am the lion. He roared the beast in the middle of the avenue. Everyone ran, without understanding. Panic show in broad daylight.”
Before starting the presentation about his new book “Capitalism, socialism and the neoclassical trap”, published by Editorial Planeta, Milei joked: “I wanted to do this because I really wanted to sing.”
The musical part of Milei was not transmitted through an official signal but through libertarian social networks. Independent media cameras were also not given access to the stadium.
Initially, Milei had planned to present his book on May 12 at the Buenos Aires International Book Fair, but differences with the organizers – who publicly questioned him about the cuts in the budget allocated to culture – led the president to look for a framework more friendly.
“As one cannot be ungrateful, one must thank the [presidente] from the Book Fair Foundation [Alejandro Vaccaro], which with the attempted boycott gave us this party. Thank you Kirchnerists,” said Milei, alluding to the center-left Peronist current led by former president Cristina Fernández (2007-2015) and former vice president (2019-2023).
During the event, Milei’s followers insulted the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, which made the Argentine ruler smile. “So that [Diana] Mondino [ministra de Asuntos Exteriores] “He is going to ask me for overtime,” Milei commented.
Argentina faces an unprecedented diplomatic crisis with Spain, a historical ally, due to Milei’s statements against the president of the Spanish government and his wife, Begoña Gómez, who has been denounced for corruption in that country.
The statements Milei made during a meeting of far-right leaders from Europe last weekend in Madrid led to Spain’s decision to withdraw the Spanish ambassador from the South American country.
Since the morning, Milei supporters began to line up to get one of the almost 10,000 free tickets distributed by volunteers from the ruling Libertad Avanza party.
“For me he is the best president in the world,” said Matías Muzica, 20, while waiting to enter the event. The young man highlighted that, thanks to the slowdown in inflation, he now “has more than enough salary” that he lacked before.
In addition, he said that he “completely agrees” with Milei’s positions. “I see him as a president with a solid decision and can make Argentina great again, as they say in the United States,” she said, referring to the motto of former US President Donald Trump.
Argentine flags were mixed with other yellow ones and a lion in the center, with the legend “Long live freedom, hell”, the proclamation that Milei repeats in each of his public appearances. Presidential masks and black hats with the phrase “The Forces of Heaven,” engraved in gold, were the most requested from street vendors.
“I am enthusiastic about this new government,” said Sebastián Sproviero, 37, who was attending a political event for the first time. “I never agreed with the policies that were taken in the country since the return of democracy (1983) until now. I am very anti-Peronist, I do not agree with many ideas of socialism. And we had had those ideas for a long time. The liberalism that is being proposed at this moment is striking.”
From the opposition, they criticized Milei for the festive event when almost 48% of Argentines are poor and economic activity fell by 5.3% in the first quarter of the year, putting a stop to expectations of a short-term rebound, then to implement a fierce cut in public spending.
“He is a disruptive president. Javier Milei is like that, he was, he is and he will be,” said Eduardo Serenellini, Secretary of Communication and Press, in response to questions upon arrival at Luna Park.
On Wednesday, in addition, the dollar reached its historical value in the informal exchange market due to some objections that the economic program generates among investors.
With barely two years of experience in politics, the economist Milei broke with the almost uninterrupted hegemony of center-left Peronism since 2003.
The government reported that no public resources were used to organize the presentation of the book, but rather it was on behalf of an unidentified private company to which the president transferred the economic rights for the sale of the book.
“He keeps the royalties from the book until all the money from the event is raised, then I start collecting the money. There is no state money. I finance my things myself,” Milei himself explained the day before, in an interview with the Todo Noticias channel.
After winning the Presidency of Argentina, Milei has returned to the main axes of his economic thought, strongly influenced by the Austrian School, a current of thought that defends the free market and contrasts with other neoclassical, Marxist and Keynesian theories.
The work he launched with this show sells for $27.
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