Milei courts US trade deal on heels of crypto controversy

Argentine president Javier Milei does not waste time trying to comply with the United States on trade – he took his case directly in a conservative crowd just outside Washington, which makes it clear that he wants Argentina at the front of the line for a free trade agreement.

According to BloombergMilei spoke during the conservative political action conference (CPAC), Milei played the public by referring to the position of former President Donald Trump on reciprocal rates. The crowd ate. But there is a problem: the membership of Argentina in Mercosur, the South American commercial block, puts a brake on its ambitions.

“I want to seize this chance to announce that Argentina wants to be the first country in the world to join this reciprocal agreement that the Trump administration has proposed on commercial issues,” said Milei. “If we were not limited by Mercosur, Argentina would already work on a mutually beneficial free trade agreement with the United States.”

Milei, 54, did not hide his admiration for Trump, 78.

During her speech, Milei doubled his commitment to reducing government bureaucracy, just as Trump and Elon Musk did through the newly formed government ministry.

Trump, in return, gave Milei a cry in his own speech later in the day, before the two met for a sit-down which could have offered the Argentinian chief a brief break of domestic headaches.

What caused these headaches?

Balance controversy recently landed in hot water. Federal prosecutor Eduardo Taiano is would have Meeting around the recent approval by Milei of the memes play on social networks. According to the Nación, an investigation request was filed.

The balance dropped 90% after Milei excited it. Likewise, Trump’s meme coin, official Trump (ASSET), is currently down more than 78% of its top of all time.

But Milei did not simply spend his trip to Washington to talk about profession and cryptographic drama – he also pressed meetings with Musk and the head of the International Monetal Monetalina Georgieva. With Georgieva, the emphasis was placed on the agreement of the debt of the current IMF of Argentina, a crucial piece of its economic puzzle.

Whether Milei gets his wish for an American-Argentina commercial pact remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: he puts himself under the spotlight, whether on stage, online or through the negotiation table.