Javier Milei's victory in Argentina did not take long to impact the United States, from where congratulations came from both the White House and Donald Trump, whom the libertarian has previously praised. After Mark Stanley, North American ambassador to Argentina, and Antony Blinken spoke publicly about the economist's victory, Joe Biden called him by phone on Wednesday.
The conversation, which took place on the afternoon of November 22, lasted approximately ten minutes and included an initial courtesy that was followed by current global topics. Both spoke about the war between Israel and Hamas, the energy situation and the future of food.
"The communication was very friendly, we talked about the release of hostages from Israel, we were also talking about Argentina being able to produce energy and food. Then the usual things that one fervently desires, which is that each country can prosper," said Diana Mondino, future chancellor of the Milei Administration.
⭕️ El presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, conversó con Javier Milei y confirmó que no estará presente en la asunción el 10 de diciembre
🎙️ "Expresó sus disculpas por no poder asistir porque estará de viaje en ese momento", expresó Diana Mondino, diputada electa de LLA. pic.twitter.com/ViSjAyZb5u
— IP noticias (@_IPNoticias) November 22, 2023
Milei formally invited Biden to his inauguration ceremony, which will take place on December 10 in the local Congress, but the courtesy was rejected. "Biden expressed his apologies for not being able to attend because he already had another trip scheduled," added Mondino.
The White House also spoke about the telephone communication between Biden and the future Argentine president, who will have to coexist in office until at least January 2025.
"President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President-elect Javier Milei of Argentina to congratulate him on his election. The President applauded the conduct of the election as a testament to the strength of Argentina's democratic institutions," they reported in a statement.
"The two leaders discussed the importance of continuing to build on the strong relationship between the United States and Argentina on economic issues, on regional and multilateral cooperation, and on shared priorities, including advocating for the protection of human rights, addressing food insecurity and investing in clean energy," they added.
What did Milei say about Biden in 2020?
Just hours after the Democrat's victory over Trump in 2020 was confirmed, the still apolitical version of Milei appeared on television to analyze what that victory meant for the world.
Without much hesitation, he assured that having a Democrat in the White House with a world "as complex as today's" was a "danger to the world" since he would have to deal with "dangerous" characters, such as Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping.
