Javier Milei made a strong showing on the last day of the Conservative Action Political Conference, better known as CPAC. The president of Argentina was met with a strong applause as he took the stage and began his speech by singing, then set fire to the crowd with his classic mantra: “Long live freedom, damn it!”
CPAC is in its third and final day at Maryland's Gaylord Resort and Conference Center. This edition of the event particularly stood out for the presence of leaders from Spain, Brazil and Latin America, such as Nayib Bukele, Eduardo Bolsonaro, Santiago Abascal and now Milei, who spoke minutes after Donald Trump and was even thanked for his presence.
The Argentine president thanked the audience for their affection and prepared to give a kind of college lecture in economics and political science, explaining concepts that he found dysfunctional and later listing the ingredients for a working free market. At the same time, he assured that "neoclassical analysis is wrong."
#CPAC2024 | @JMilei abre su discurso en el @CPAC:
"Lindo día para hacer temblar a la izquierda (...) ¡Viva la libertad, carajo!". pic.twitter.com/k4kH1uX59s
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) February 24, 2024
He defined the market as a "process of social cooperation, where property rights are voluntarily exchanged," adding that the existence of private property and a price system are vital, in the latter case because they transmit information to the participants in the market.
With this in mind, he exposed interventionist ideologies, arguing that they are destined to fail because they begin with interference that distorts the price system, making the market increasingly dysfunctional. For Milei, this is why "socialism cannot work in any of its aspects."
Briefly leaving aside his university lecture, Milei assured those present that he would sacrifice anything to lift Argentina, which of the last 30 years was under Peronist control for 24. "We are not going to give up on making Argentina great again!" he exclaimed, unleashing applause of the crowd chating his name.
#CPAC2024 | @JMilei participa en la conferencia conservadora, en Washington DC. pic.twitter.com/2QtbPvlNOP
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) February 24, 2024
A message to the United States: 'Do not let socialism advance'
In closing, Milei addressed Americans directly and asked them "not to get carried away by the siren songs of social justice."
"I come from a country that bought all those stupid ideas and from being one of the richest countries in the world, today it is in 140th place. So, don't give up your freedom, fight for your freedom. Because if you don't fight for freedom, it will lead you to misery," he continued.
Finally, he set out to deliver a message of optimism. "The message of freedom not only took us to the presidency in Argentina, but we are also waking up the whole world. Don't give up in the fight for freedom, long live freedom, dammit!" he concluded.
Viral meeting with Donald Trump
Milei and Trump starred in one of the most anticipated moments of the event, when the two of them met face-to-face. After a few back-and-forths online, the Republican and the libertarian spoke for a few seconds and then offered a photo opportunity.
Once the thumbs-up on stage was over, they ended their meeting with a warm handshake that soon went viral.
#CPAC2024 | Cálido encuentro entre @JMilei y Donald Trump en la @CPAC. pic.twitter.com/J1u02JOs5K
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) February 24, 2024
