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Argentine President Javier Milei to attend U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration

The South American leader posted a link to a news report to his X account on Monday and wrote “Make Argentina Great Again Make America Great Again,” accompanied by a handshake emoji between U.S. and Argentine flag emojis

El presidente de Argentina Javier Milei
El presidente de Argentina Javier Milei | EFE

December 18, 2024 9:05am

Updated: December 18, 2024 9:05am

South America’s most prominent conservative leader will attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in January, according to a report filed by Bloomberg News.

A spokesperson for Argentina's President Javier Milei confirmed Tuesday that the newly elected libertarian economist turned politician will come to Washington from Buenos Aires to witness the historic event.

Milei was elected last year and considers himself as an “anarcho-capitalist.”

The South American leader posted a link to a news report to his X account on Monday and wrote “Make Argentina Great Again Make America Great Again,” accompanied by a handshake emoji between U.S. and Argentine flag emojis. 

Milei is just one of several world leaders who have been invited to attend Trump’s inauguration in Washington on Jan. 20. CBS News reported last week that Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom Trump personally invited to the inauguration, was not planning on attending,

The president-elect said Monday that he has corresponded with Xi and would “love to have him [at the inauguration], but there's been nothing much discussed” about whether the Chinese communist party general secretary will actually attend. 

Trump said that he has fielded calls from more than 100 world leaders since defeating Vice-President Kamala Harris in the November presidential election.

When asked, he said that he had not invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but then said that “if he'd like to come, I'd like to have him.”

It is not customary for foreign leaders to attend American inaugurations. According to CBS, “State Department records dating back to 1874 show that no world leader has attended an American transfer-of-power ceremony. Traditionally, foreign ambassadors and their spouses represent their governments at the quadrennial event.”

Milei met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago shortly after the November election and has shown public support for the incoming Republican president.