Leaders of Argentina and El Salvador among those invited to Trump’s inauguration

More world leaders have confirmed they were invited to US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony, and Argentine President Javier Milei revealed plans to travel to Washington, breaking a US political tradition that kept foreign heads of state away. of the transfer of power.

Milei’s spokesman, Manuel Adorni, informed reporters in a text message that Trump had invited the Argentine president, noting that it was the first time such an invitation had been extended to the president of the South American nation. And El Salvador’s ambassador to the United States said that President Nayib Bukele had been invited and was still waiting to know if he would accept her.

No head of state has previously made an official visit to the United States for the inauguration.

On Monday, Trump discussed his invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping, noting that he had not yet declined or confirmed his attendance. He was asked which other world leaders had been invited and whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among them. Trump said the Ukrainian leader had not been invited, but that “if he would like to come, I would like him to be here.”

Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for information, but last week, spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump had invited leaders from other countries. On Monday, Trump said world leaders were calling him when asked what other heads of state he had invited.

El Salvador’s ambassador to the United States, Milena Mayorga, said on a radio show that she was waiting to see if Bukele would accept the invitation, as it was still being considered for security reasons.

Milei was the first foreign leader to meet with Trump after the election, traveling from Buenos Aires to the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago club. Milei, who describes himself as an “anarcho-capitalist,” frequently draws praise from billionaire Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who will lead the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” to lay off federal workers, cut programs and reduce federal regulations. .

In his message to reporters, Milei’s spokesman, Adorni, said that Trump is creating an entity similar to his new Ministry of Deregulation and State Transformation in Argentina. Milei brandished a chainsaw during the election campaign while promising budget cuts, and then implemented a series of austerity measures, including laying off tens of thousands of public servants, freezing public infrastructure projects and freezing salaries and pensions.

Many economists express cautious optimism that, however radical some of the measures taken by Milei, he is taking the right steps to rescue Argentina, which has experienced frequent crises.

Milei hopes that good relations between the two countries can help Argentina reach a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which would ease pressure on the billions of dollars in debt payments due next year.

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