To the Pope Francisco He called him a demon incarnated on Earth. To the economists and journalists from “donkeys” and “mogolics”. And the socialist leaders, an ideology for which he feels a special aversion, of course “human excrement”.
If there is one thing that characterizes Javier Milei, the best positioned candidate for the Argentine presidential elections, it is his caustic tongue.
His attacks have brought him criticism from political, intellectual and religious sectors who warned about the danger of his hate speech. However, they do not seem to make a dent among many voters angered by rampant inflation, insecurity and corruption.
In the final stretch for the October 22 elections, Milei remains the best positioned candidate in the polls with more than 30% support.
The outbursts are seen as a lesser evil of the La Libertad Avanza candidate—who proclaims himself alien to the traditional political class, which he contemptuously calls “the caste”— and according to analysts they would not take away a significant number of votes from his two main rivals: Economy Minister Sergio Massa, of the Peronist Unión por la Patria, and Patricia Bullrich, of the opposition Together for Change.
According to four surveys published by the media this week, Milei would obtain an average of 34% support, followed by Massa with 29% and Bullrich with 25%. The methodological data of these surveys were not released.
Juan Pedro Aquino, a 61-year-old history professor, told T that Milei emerged “in a society that said ‘enough’” and added: “What is the biggest insult? “A boy who can’t afford to eat.”
Andrés Ferreira, 36 years old and who works on a digital platform that makes home deliveries, stated that he does not care about the economist’s dirty mouth. “Argentina “It has all the resources, but because it is poorly managed by delinquent politicians we are suffering.”
According to analysts, the far-right represents the leader who can achieve radical change with novel proposals—beyond their feasibility—such as closing the Central Bank and dollarizing the economy to contain inflation of more than 124% annually.
Milei “he has no middle ground in his categorizations and regarding his relationships with others”said Gustavo González, director of the Applied Social Psychology Observatory of the Faculty of Psychology of the University of Buenos Aires.
The candidate’s virtues are honesty, frontality and his condition of “good economist” said observatory based on a series of interviews. The defects that those consulted highlighted were his violent, arrogant and impulsive character.
The pope is one of the favorite targets of the 52-year-old far-right who emerged as an economist who made explosive statements in television debates and who, as a deputy since 2021, has developed an aggressive speech of which there is no memory.
“The idiot who is in Rome, who defends social justice, should be informed that he knows that it is theft and that it goes against the commandments,” he shouted about Pope Francis in one of the most viral interviews in recent times. And he continued, almost screaming, with a red face: “I’m going to say it up front! “The Pope is the representative of the evil one on Earth, occupying the throne of the house of God!”
Víctor Manuel Fernández, close to the pontiff and appointed head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican, said that leaders must show “respect and prudence to measure the effects” of his sayings and warned that ““The episodes of verbal violence that we have seen do not seem to show that these conditions exist.”
Milei’s attitude is reminiscent of that of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, who governed the United States and Brazil, respectively.
“We defend private property, the free market, freedom of expression”said Bolsonaro, president between 2019 and 2022, highlighting the values he shares with the Argentine. For Milei, meanwhile, Trump fully understood that “The fight is against socialism.”
In proselytizing caravans Milei usually puts on boxing gloves to the rhythm of the song from the film “Rocky” or he wields a chainsaw with which he promises to cut corruption and excessive public spending in the bud. His rallies end with shouts of “Long live fucking freedom!”
He himself has recognized that it should be “a little bit calmer for some things”but the economist with bushy hair and long sideburns, who with his leather jacket and jumps on stage looks like a rock star, cannot handle his genius.
The economist has aimed his guns at Latin American leaders whom he reproaches for their defense of social justice, an unacceptable concept for him who advocates almost no intervention by the State in the economy.
Some are the rulers of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, and of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Milei considered that they seek to establish a new Soviet Union in the region, which “It was a machine to impoverish people” and “a killer system” and he crowned his argument by saying: “What is a socialist, deep down? “A garbage, a human excrement”in an interview in August with the Colombian radio station RCN.
Milei called “disgusting peeling and “dragging worm” to the mayor of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta. “You can’t even shine a liberal’s shoes, you bastard. “I can crush you even in a wheelchair.”he stated when he was fighting for the deputy seat.
He considers the political class a “trash” and the economists who question him do not escape his darts: he recently called one “mogolic”.
He calls journalists “enveloped” in reference to the envelopes of bribes they would charge for attacking him, or “donkeys.” “You give your opinion about things you don’t know a damn about. “You’re saying something stupid and I’m trying to make you sick,” he snapped at a reporter.
López Obrador has reproached him for his insults. “No one had dared to insult the Pope like Milei does and without foundation.”
Former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa said that his face reflects a “total chaos in the soul” and the Colombian president Gustavo Petro posted about his statements against leftist policies: “this is what Hitler said.”
Meanwhile, Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren asked him to observe “minimal respect” by leftist president Gabriel Boric after Milei told a journalists “I hope you have the happiness and height to be able to get rid of this impoverisher Boric” from above.
The Argentine Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel has referred to Milei as “an unbalanced” and anticipated that “If he comes to power it will be the destruction of the country.”
But all these warnings do not discourage his voters. “I may be the most educated person… but if I don’t know anything about economics, how do I intend to manage this country whose main problem is economic?”asked Aron Laime, 20 years old and resident of a humble neighborhood near Buenos Aires.
Milei has achievedor “a strong identification of an emotional type and almost of religious fanaticism” with men—more than with women—and with impoverished and center-right sectors, according to González.
To win in the first round, the candidate with the most votes must obtain at least 45% of the votes or at least 40% and a difference of 10 points or more over the second most voted. If not, the two candidates with the most support will face each other in a runoff in November.
According to pollsters, the most likely scenario is that of a runoff, in which the provocative economist would have a guaranteed place.
Source: AP
Source: Gestion
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