He defends U.S. alliance and promises sweeping neoliberal overhaul through 2026.

At the opening session of the legislative year on Sunday, far-right Argentine President Javier Milei lashed out at those who oppose his policies, calling them criminals, thieves, murderers and brutes.

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Considered one of the most important institutional annual events in Argentina, the inaugural session turned into a stage for emotional insults and displays of disrespect by Milei toward the lawmakers in attendance.

During a nearly two-hour speech, Milei reviewed more than two years of his administration, announced he would continue with reforms and defended a strategic alliance with the United States.

He used a serious tone when addressing those matters, which shifted radically when he turned to opposition legislators, unleashing a barrage of insults, raising his voice, and adopting an increasingly aggressive tone.

“Gang of criminals… I love taming you… I love seeing you cry… thieves, murderers,” he said, also referencing monetarist economist Milton Friedman, known for his conservative positions and support for structural adjustment policies.

“What would Milton Friedman do with these cavemen? … You live off other people’s work… Go defend Cuba and North Korea… your ignorance hurts,” Milei said, using irony and visible irritation.

At the end of his speech, he mentioned anarcho-capitalist Jesus Huerta de Soto, whom he considers his mentor, and recalled phrases the Spanish economist had shared with him.

“The world has two types of people: those who live off what others produce, that is, parasites like you, and those who make modern life possible,” Milei said.

The text reads, “Without any prior announcement, Milei transformed his speech before the Legislative Assembly into a show of insults and provocations against the opposition. His outburst’s peaks came when he was confronted about the Libra and 3% scandals.” The front page of the newspaper Pagina 12 reads, ‘Circus Without bread'”

Milei to Push More Neoliberal Reforms

The Argentine president, who declared himself an enemy of the state during his election campaign, reaffirmed that he will push 90 legal reforms to shape what he called “Argentine greatness.”

“All this requires a lasting strategic alliance. That is what we are building with the U.S. This is not just an agreement between President Donald Trump and Milei. It has to do with cultural affinity and shared strategic objectives between two countries,” he said.

“A new world order is taking shape,” he said, stressing that how Argentina positions itself within it “will determine the destiny” of a country that has the critical minerals, energy, land, and water “that the West needs.”

To consolidate his alliance with Washington, Milei will seek parliamentary ratification of the trade and investment agreement signed with the United States on Feb. 5.

“We have to create the century of the Americas, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, and let’s make Argentina and America great again,” he pointed out, mentioning that “the South Atlantic is the terrain of strategic dispute in the coming decades.”

For that reason, Milei will modernize military equipment because “a defense system aligned with present threats is the shield that the prosperity Argentina will build needs.”

The far-right Argentine president has prepared 10 packages of legislation to be submitted to Congress, one each month through the end of 2026.

“This will constitute the calendar year of reform: nine uninterrupted months of structural reforms that will redesign the institutional architecture of the new Argentina.”

“Some will say that 90 packages of structural reforms in one year is excessive, dictatorial or whatever. In response, I want to point out that our reformist ambition cannot be understood as an attempt to accumulate power,” Milei said, anticipating criticism from progressive parties and social organizations.

Milei did not provide details on all the reforms he will pursue, though he said there will be bills addressing tax, electoral, customs, criminal, judicial and education matters.

“It is time to create the institutional and legal architecture for the next 50 years. These new rules of the game will leave behind the forgettable process that has been our last century of history,” said Milei, who has devoted himself to dismantling Argentina’s welfare state.

“Our country is leaving adolescence and entering adulthood, and that is why we have consecrated this year as the year of Argentine greatness,” he said proudly of a set of policies that aim to dismantle economic, social, and environmental rights.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: EFE – Pagina 12

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