The “troll” president Milei governs Argentina through the networks

First he unleashed hundreds of expletives against congressmen, then came a verbose avalanche against the governors: the Argentine president Javier Milei use the social networks as a tribune of his “revolution” and escape from their moods.

With reposts or “I like it”, The ultraliberal president expresses himself on the networks through third parties, mostly users who are part of a digital ecosystem related to his government. Thus, he amplifies praise, unveils and reproduces advertisements, and directs attacks at his adversaries.

The volume is frenetic. For example, from her inauguration on December 10 to February 10, Milei gave about 14,000 “I like it” and made 4,364 publications, of which only 111 were his own and the rest were retweets, according to a survey by the newspaper La Nación.

“Basically, I use social networks at breakfast, at lunch and at night”Milei said in an interview with the LN+ channel, and added: “On trips I get a little more intense.”

He said this from Washington, after participating in the conservative CPAC conclave on February 24. According to an AFP study, in the four days that the trip lasted, Milei gave “I like it” to some 2,300 publications and reproduced more than 1,100 posts — among them, his meeting with former President Donald Trump, which he retweeted more than 100 times.

For Ernesto Calvo, an Argentine political scientist based in Washington, Milei’s digital strategy “take a page from the script” of Trump, although he considered that the Argentine’s communication is “more erratic than that seen in USA”.

Milei claims that he handles his X, but this social media specialist questions this due to excessive “activity level”.

Last week, the president published on Instagram a photo made with artificial intelligence that showed the Statue of Liberty with his face, one of many retouched images of him that have circulated on his networks since the presidential campaign.

“Profile of the troll influencer”

“Milei embodies the profile of the troll influencer in tune with current digital culture,” argues sociologist Silvio Waisbord in an essay published this month in the magazine Anfibia.

“Trolls humiliate others, adversaries and anyone they come across. They are provocateurs who enjoy insulting and belittling. “They traffic in irony and sarcasm that reflects feeling superior to their targets.”he added.

When his reform package failed in Congress on February 7, Milei published lists of deputies who voted against, with their names and photos, called them “criminals” and called Parliament a “rathole”.

Then he gave “I like it” to publications that demanded the resignation of two officials identified as “traitors”. The departure of both was confirmed hours later.

One of the president’s most recent confrontations in

Milei then shared a meme of a scene from a pornographic film that showed a young woman with the face of Torres and four muscular men behind her with the faces of journalists related to the government.

The second publication, to which he gave “I like it”, and which was later removed from X, showed an edited image of the governor with the features of a person with Down syndrome.

The Down Syndrome Association of Argentina (ASDRA) expressed its rejection in a statement in which it recalled that the president had previously used the word “mogolic” as an insult.

Amnesty International Argentina also repudiated both posts: “A president cannot endorse violent speeches and criminal practices”wrote the NGO.

“They do not see her”

The expression “they do not see her” It is a slogan that emerged on social networks that Milei’s followers installed in public discourse. It refers to those who, from the opposition, do not understand or do not value the direction taken by the government.

“The Kirchnerists still don’t see it”stated a publication replicated by Milei in X last week, which highlighted a survey about her positive image.

Both the self-praise for his management, which considers him as “the best president in history”, how attacks on opponents are reproduced in a context of increased social conflict.

These are reactions to the economic plan that Milei called “chainsaw and blender”: a search to cut the fiscal deficit with a drastic reduction in public spending and a liquefaction of salaries and pensions driven by inflation of more than 250% year-on-year in January.

“The question is whether he can govern with such violent speech against politics,” Ernesto Calvo told AFP.

A survey by the consulting firm Aresco disseminated by Milei on its networks gives a 56% of positive image, the same number that he obtained in the runoff. Another study by the consulting firm Opinaia indicates that the president’s image fell seven points between December and February, from 59% to 52%.

For Calvo, “If your popularity drops, if your political position is weaker, if at some point you need one of those actors or if these actors eventually see blood in the water, that this is going to happen, at that point the political cost is enormously magnified.” ”.