President of Argentina Javier Milei will travel to the United States on Wednesday evening to receive the “Make America Great Again” award at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Argentine media reported on Tuesday.
The Argentine newspaper Clarín, citing an unnamed “qualified government source,” stated that Milei and Economy Minister Luis Caputo will depart “on a lightning flight to Palm Beach” on Wednesday night and will return to Argentina on Thursday. The whirlwind trip will mark the third time Milei visits the United States in 2025 and the seventh U.S. trip since he took office in December 2023.
Argentine Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein, who recently met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, confirmed to Clarín that Milei will participate in the “American Patriots Gala,” an event organized by the “We Fund the Blue” charity organization at Mar-a-Lago. Milei will reportedly receive the “Make America Great Again” award in recognition of his “unwavering dedication to freedom, free market economics and conservative values.”
Milei confirmed that he will receive the Make America Great Award in a post he shared on his official Instagram account.
View this post on Instagram
Both Clarín and the newspaper La Nación reported that, as of Tuesday evening, a meeting between Milei and President Trump was yet to be confirmed. Clarín pointed out that there are expectations in the Argentine government that Trump and Milei hold an informal meeting on Thursday.
Milei’s upcoming visit to the United States, and the prospective encounter between Milei and Trump, occurs at a time when Argentina and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are in the final stages of a negotiation for a $20 billion loan for Argentina. La Nación asserted that Milei’s administration seeks to finalize the deal in “the shortest possible time in order to remove uncertainty from the markets.”
Additionally, La Nación reported, the Argentine government maintains its interest in promoting a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Argentina and the United States, a proposal first touted by Milei shortly after President Trump was elected in November.
While Milei described a prospective FTA deal as “exactly” what he was looking for, he explained at the time that, to sign one, Argentina would have to first depart from the MERCOSUR regional trade bloc, as the group’s rules prevent member states from independently seeking out free trade deals with other nations. In March, President Trump told reporters that he would consider signing a FTA with Milei.
“I consider anything. And Argentina — I think he’s [Milei] great, by the way — I think he’s a great leader. He’s doing a great job. He’s doing a fantastic job. He brought it back [Argentina] from oblivion. Yeah, we’ll look at things,” Trump answered reporters in March.
Throughout the first year of Milei’s administration, Argentina has engaged in a “realignment” of its foreign policy with the United States and Israel as its main allies after previous leftist administrations pushed the nation towards authoritarian regimes such as China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela. Reports published by local outlets in March indicated that, in addition to inking a FTA deal with the United States, Milei is seeking to sign a similar deal with Israel.
During his meeting on Tuesday with Argentine Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein, Secretary of State Marco Rubio “welcomed Argentina’s ongoing partnership on shared economic priorities and reaffirmed the importance of strengthening our cooperation in key sectors.” In addition to expressing their commitment to further strengthen the diplomatic ties between both nations, the two top diplomats discussed the need to continue countering the region’s authoritarian regimes of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
