The Argentine president, Javier Milei, is set to travel to Washington on Thursday, where he’ll attend a conservative summit and meet with notable figures such as Donald Trump, the director of the IMF, and entrepreneur Elon Musk. This trip comes at a tumultuous time for Milei, as his country is embroiled in an investigation into the bankruptcy of a cryptocurrency.
According to presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni, Milei and his delegation will depart on a special flight to Washington D.C. at 00:10 (03:10 GMT) on Thursday. Later that day, at 5:00 p.m. (20:15 GMT), he’s scheduled to meet with Musk, followed by a meeting with Kristalina Georgieva, the director of the International Monetary Fund, at 7:00 p.m. (22:00 GMT).
On Saturday, Milei is expected to deliver a speech at the Conservative Action Conference (CPAC), where he’ll share the stage with Donald Trump. This was announced by Adorni during a press conference on Tuesday. The timing of the trip is particularly noteworthy, given the current political climate in Argentina. The controversy began when Milei promoted a project to finance local companies via a cryptocurrency that was created on the same day. He initially shared a link to buy the cryptocurrency but later removed the post.
Argentina is also in the process of negotiating a new agreement with the IMF, in addition to the existing $44,000 million deal from 2018. Minister of Economy Luis Caputo seems optimistic about the negotiations, stating, “We are at the final points. I’d say the only thing we’re negotiating now is the amount. In terms of the economic conditions of the agreement, we’re already in total agreement.” He made these comments during an interview with the Local A24 channel on Monday.
Milei’s meeting with Musk is particularly interesting, given that Musk presides over the newly formed Government Efficiency Department (Doge), which is focused on federal expenditure. According to Milei, this department was inspired by his own Ministry of Deregulation and Transformation of the State. This visit marks Milei’s second trip to the United States in the last 30 days, following his attendance at the inauguration of his ally Donald Trump in January.
