Javier Milei’s Ominous Warning to Americans

Javier Milei, a breakthrough libertarian figurehead who was elected as president of Argentina on Sunday night, recently warned Americans to “never allow yourself to be seduced by the siren song of social justice” as he railed against “the ideals of socialism.”

Speaking to Tucker Carlson in September, the then-candidate told U.S. viewers that those who shared his political outlook must be prepared to “wage a culture war every single day” and urged businesses to invest in “those who defend the ideals of freedom.”

Milei was crowned the winner of a fiercely polarized run-off ballot on a populist platform, taking 55.7 percent of the vote to 44.3 percent for Sergio Massa, a center-left politician and economic minister, with 99.4 percent of the votes tallied.

Cast on a backdrop of 140 percent inflation and rising poverty, the 53-year-old self-described “anarcho-capitalist”—known as “the wig” by his fans due to his mop of hair—promised a dramatic shake-up of the state, including dismembering the nation’s central bank and replacing the Argentine peso with the U.S. dollar.

Newly-elected President of Argentina Javier Milei of La Libertad Avanza looks on after the polls closed in the presidential runoff on November 19, 2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In a September interview with Tucker Carlson, Milei railed against “the ideals of socialism” in a warning to Americans. Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images

The former Rolling Stones tribute band member, who once claimed to be an expert in tantric sex, has expressed support for legalizing the sale of human organs and eliminating gun laws, as well as holding a referendum on the right to abortion.

Delivering a victory speech, Milei vowed that the “reconstruction of Argentina begins today,” adding the nation’s “situation is critical. The changes our country needs are drastic.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated him on the win, writing that the Biden administration “look[s] forward to continuing bilateral cooperation based on shared values and interests,” while former President Donald Trump said Milei would “Make Argentina Great Again.”

The American Libertarian Party was also pleased with the result. In a statement seen by Newsweek, its chair Angela McArdle said Milei’s win “presents an exciting opportunity to restore sound economic policy and individual rights to his constituents,” adding: “If a libertarian can win in Argentina, it won’t be long until a libertarian can win in the United States.”

While interviewing Milei, Carlson claimed that socialism was on the rise in the U.S. while Argentina had already seen it happen, and asked what advice the Argentinian economist had for Americans.

“Never embrace the ideals of socialism,” Milei responded. “Never allow yourself to be seduced by the siren song of social justice. Don’t get caught up in that terrible concept that where there is a need, there is a right.”

He added: “We have to be prepared for this and wage a culture war every single day—and we have to be careful because they have no problem with getting inside the state and employing Gramsci’s techniques: seducing the artists, seducing the culture, seducing the media or meddling in educational content,” a reference to Antonio Gramsci, a Marxist and founding member of the Italian Communist Party, who put forward the theory that the ruling capitalist class uses cultural hegemony to maintain power.

Culture wars and diametrically opposed ideologies on a number of issues have come to the fore across many nations in recent years, perhaps most obviously in the U.S. with Trump’s rise.

Sharp dividing lines have been drawn over LGBTQ+ inclusion and transgender acceptance; what children should and should not be taught about in school; the Black Lives Matter movement and abortion rights—with fierce advocates on various sides vying to have their views become public policy.

Milei went on to argue that part of businesses’ investment should be “in those who defend the ideals of freedom, so the socialists can make no further advances.”

He warned that if the commercial sector did not, he foresaw that socialists “will get into the state, and use the state to impose a long-term agenda that will destroy everything it touches. So we need a commitment from all those who create wealth to fight against socialism, to fight against statism, and to understand that if they fail to do so, the socialists will keep coming.”

“Since they try to leech off others without working, they are tireless in their pursuit,” Milei argued. “So this battle must be waged increasingly. We cannot take a day off, because when we rest, socialism creeps in.”

While Trump and other Republicans have claimed Joe Biden was a socialist, the president has always expressly denied that he is one, while he has not attempted to nationalize ownership of America’s industry—a key tenet of socialist ideology.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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