Axel Kaiser is one of the most influential Latin American economists of the last 15 years.   He is in favor of free markets and the freedom of the individual and has written seven books about his theories. On top of that, he has been an authority on the subject for years and has published explanations that went viral on social media.

The Archbridge Institute senior fellow was recently in Argentina to be part of an event organized by the Libertad y Progreso Foundation and the CATO Institute, which featured Elon Musk and Javier Milei as keynote speakers.

He recently sat down to talk with Voz Media in a deluxe hotel which, he confessed, he visits every time he comes to Buenos Aires. He talked about the libertarian president, the future of Chile and even went so far as to predict the winner of the November elections between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Movement forward? Kaiser predicted Milei's presidency

Kaiser began by recalling his relationship with Milei, whom he met eight years ago, since they were both fighting the "culture battle" in Latin America, in favor of the ideas of economic freedom.  Did he expect Milei to become president?  In answer, he puffed out his chest with a resounding "yes."

"I always thought he could become president, I was visionary in that, and said it many times.  Because of the momentum he had, that magnetism was impressive.  He was one of those people who appeared at the right time and with the right skills," he added.

Already with the firm belief that Milei could make it, he analyzed the Argentinian election as a great "cultural revolution," a "change of mentality" and an "irreversible process" for Argentine society.

Kaiser also took aim at the well-educated economists who, with "complete passivity," criticized Milei while he was "walking a tightrope" during tough ideological bargaining.

"The biggest crap I ever heard in my whole life"

This is how the Chilean economist responded to Milei's opponents in Argentina, who claim that his approach has not resulted in positive outcomes internationally.

"What Milei is proposing is exactly what worked in Argentina from the mid-19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, and it is what made this country the richest on the planet.   It is the same thing that Chile did and became the most prosperous country in Latin America, it is the same thing that made all the rich countries in the world rich.  That is what Milei proposes.  What does not work is the other, the statism, the collectivism, the fascism, the socialism.  They just don't work; they are deeply immoral.  They are ideologies that despise human beings," added Kaiser.

In short, people who do not end up buying what Milei is selling are, "bad, ignorant, stupid, or have so much self-interest that they are not willing to change the 'caste system'."

Can Milei's ideas catch on in Latin America?

For Kaiser, the Argentinean president's ideas are guaranteed to spread in the region.  "Wherever I go, since Milei has been a public figure, and I am Milei's figure in Chile, I see an excitement that I have never seen before," he pointed out, although he did not limit this influence to Latin American alone.

He described many European countries and the United States itself as unsatisfactory models.  "What is the alternative?  What Milei is putting forward is nothing new.  They are the ideas of classical liberalism that the founding fathers of the United States had, that Ronald Reagan had, that Margaret Thatcher had and that Ludwig Erhard had...All these people studied history, knew about economic theory, and were protagonists of the defeat of socialism in 2020.  Here we are not inventing something totally new, we are rescuing something that was buried in the collectivist mud," the Chilean economist concluded.

Axel Kaiser for president of Chile?

Given the appearance of socialist Gabriel Boric, the economist did not rule out becoming a candidate for president in the 2025 elections himself.  He is confident that he is the only one in the country who could truly emulate Milei.  "I am the only one who has had the leadership, intellectual clarity and a sufficiently radical stance on the free market and individual freedoms to assume that role."

Although he confessed that "sometimes" he feels like becoming a candidate, he does not think it is "the moment" taking into account that his brother Johannes has already announced his pre-candidacy.

He also predicted a change of government in Chile, oriented to the center-right or right.   When it came to naming names, he favored Evelyn Matthei as the favorite to win the elections.  He described her as a politician "of trajectory", "reasonable", but "social democrat."

Finally, Kaiser discussed the U.S. presidential elections.  He began by attacking Biden, who he accuses of having run a "lousy government" despite having had "all the press on his side in a shameless way."

He named the migration crisis, the "fiasco" of the Afghanistan withdrawal, geopolitical chaos because of projected "weakness" on the part of the United States, and an economy that came out of the pandemic battered with very high inflation.  "I don't see where the Biden Administration has done well," he added.

Just as he predicted the election of Milei, he likewise forecast a Donald Trump victory in November.   "The disaster in the United States, in terms of security, foreign policy and public order is too great.  People are tired, they want to send everything to hell again," he declared before clarifying that Trump must improve his performance concerning the fiscal deficit in his last term.