 "'Rough up local crook': Argentina's Milei insults Spanish PM Sanchez in expletive-laden speech")
Argentina President Javier Milei on Sunday renewed his expletive-laden attack on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, labeling him a “crook” during a visit to Madrid for an economic forum.
According to a Buenos Aires Times report, in a fiery speech where he declared “death to socialism,” Milei intensified the ongoing feud between the two leaders.
Their dispute dates back to last year when Milei accused Sánchez’s wife of corruption, prompting Spain to withdraw its ambassador from Argentina.
Milei delivered his remarks at the Madrid Economic Forum, a libertarian event with strong connections to cryptocurrency circles.
With rock music blaring and some audience members hurling insults at Sánchez, Milei spoke animatedly, taking another jab at the Spanish prime minister, added the report.
“If you want to rough up the local crook too, I’ve got no problem with it,” Buenos Aires Times quoted Milei as saying, referring to Sanchez.
Later in his speech, which centered on defending his administration’s economic policies, Milei reacted to audience members who shouted, “We need you here!”
“I will always be on your side when it comes to opposing the socialist scum,” he was quoted as saying, followed by an expletive referring to Sánchez’s party, to thunderous applause.
As of late Sunday, Spanish officials had not responded to Milei’s remarks, according to Buenos Aires Times report.
Milei’s comments came just hours after tens of thousands rallied in Madrid at an opposition-led protest, accusing Sánchez’s government of corruption. Sánchez’s wife, brother, and a former top aide are all under investigation in separate graft cases — probes he has dismissed as a right-wing smear campaign.
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View AllMilei, who took office in December 2023, has vowed to revive Argentina’s ailing economy through aggressive spending cuts and deregulation. While his government recorded the country’s first budget surplus in over a decade, rising inflation, job losses, and falling consumer spending have fueled public unease.
At the forum, the La Libertad Avanza leader delivered a forceful defence of his economic agenda.
“Our goals were very ambitious. They said it was impossible, and now, after a year-and-a-half, we have exceeded all our campaign goals. They told us it was impossible to make a five-point adjustment in a month, and we did it,” the president was quoted as saying.
“The model is definitely working. Therefore, what I want to leave you with is the testimony that the ideas of freedom work,” Milei said.
“We know what needs to be done, we know how to do it. Therefore, let us not lack the courage to do it, because we are the ones who can get everyone back on their feet,” continued the president, whose speech was widely applauded.
Milei also declared that “by 2026, inflation in Argentina will be a thing of the past.”
“Today, Argentina has embraced the path of growth. In 40 years, it will be the world’s leading power, without a doubt,” he claimed.
As is typical, President Milei, who refuses to hold press conferences, took aim at the media, denouncing “corrupt journalists who spread filthy news”.
“We don’t have enough real journalists,” he added.
Milei arrived in Madrid on Saturday from Rome, where he met with Pope Leo XIV, as part of a 10-day tour of Europe and Israel.
During his visit, he also met with Santiago Abascal, his political ally and leader of Spain’s far-right Vox party. No meeting with Prime Minister Sánchez is scheduled.
On Sunday, Milei also held talks with Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, who has been living in exile in Spain since September.
With inputs from agencies
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