Tech billionaire Musk was roundly criticized by the European left wing after his stiff-armed salute went viral at a Trump Inauguration Day party in Washington on Monday.
Musk later denounced the criticism as “dirty tricks” from his opponents. “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired,” he said. On Thursday, Musk was also backed up by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said the Tesla chief was being “falsely smeared.”
Covering familiar ground during his speech, Argentina’s leader blamed international organizations such as the World Economic Forum — the event at which he was speaking — for “promoting the sinister agenda of wokeism.”
Milei said that the global political landscape had shifted since his previous appearance at the event in 2024, declaring that Argentina is no longer alone in its fight for “liberty” as the world’s political winds blow to the right.
Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist, was elected president of Argentina in November 2023 after promising to dismantle state bureaucracy, reduce public spending and oppose so-called woke ideologies during a provocative election campaign.
Since taking office, he has won praise for boosting confidence in Argentina’s struggling economy through policies such as cutting public spending and reducing energy subsidies. His critics, however, argue that Milei’s austerity measures and focus on reducing government spending have led to an increase in poverty during his time in office.