In a first, Argentina President Milei to attend Trump's inauguration

President of Argentina Javier Milei is expected to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, a report by Bloomberg cited an Argentine government spokesperson as saying.

Milei’s attendance has not yet been confirmed publicly neither Trump’s transition team has commented on whether Argentinian President will be a guest at January 20 ceremony, but a report by CBS News quoted an Argentine diplomatic official as saying that all signs point to his travel to Washington for swearing-in event.

A strong admirer of the US President-elect, Milei, who was elected last year, also attended Trump’s victory party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in November shortly after the presidential election results were declared.

Also, Milei was among the first world leaders to congratulate Trump on his election win over Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris.

Several media outlets in Argentina have also been reporting over the last few days that Milei has been extended a formal invitation to Trump’s inauguration next month.

If Milei attends, he will become the first world leader to attend US presidential inauguration in at least a century and also the first Argentine president to attend the historic swearing-in ceremony.

The US State Department records dating back to 1874 show that no foreign head of state has attended a US presidential inauguration since then. The event is traditionally witnessed by ambassadors, US lawmakers and the general public.

Last week, there were reports claiming that Chinese President Xi Jinping has been personally invited by Trump to the inauguration. However, CBS News reported multiple sources as saying that Xi is unlikely to attend the ceremony.

According to a report by Buenos Aires Times, Trump, however, is believed to want a select group of leaders to be invited at his inauguration. They include Xi, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele.

With inputs from agencies.