The chainsaw-wielding economist follows through on his promise of 'shock therapy,' prioritizing taming inflation by cutting spending and deregulating

Javier Milei, the chainsaw-wielding economist president, followed through on his promise of “shock therapy,” taming inflation by cutting spending and deregulating the economy.

(AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez) Venezuela’s opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, right, and Argentine President Javier Milei hold hands from the government house balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. Gonzalez, who claims he won ...

Milei is often branded a “right-wing populist,” “far-right outsider,” and “far-right libertarian.” The fascist Peronists, socialists, and unionists who spent decades gutting and plundering one of the wealthiest nations in the world are never assigned such ideological designations.

To Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Javier Milei is a “cowardly bug,” “fascist trash” and an “ugly, stupid SOB.” To Mr. Milei, Argentina’s president, the socialist strongman in Caracas is the political gift that keeps on giving.

Pedro Mario Burelli, a veteran Venezuelan political operative and an opponent of Mr. Maduro’s movement, called the visit part of an effort to “freak him out” — to scare Mr. Maduro into believing that the global political tide is increasingly turning against him.

With expected good access to the new White House, it will be up to Milei and his team to distinguish personal ideology from national interest and act accordingly.

As Donald Trump prepares to assume power for a second term Monday, avowed admirer Javier Milei of Argentina has his sights set on becoming the US president's man in Latin America.

Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González, who the United States recognized as the winner of last year's presidential election, kicked off an international tour on Saturday that will take him to Washington just days before President Nicolás Maduro is set to be sworn in for a third term in defiance of international pressure.

A seemingly all-powerful Javier Milei has taken Argentina, and a great part of the world, by storm.

Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia will meet Argentina's President Javier Milei on Saturday, days ahead of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's inauguration for a third term following contested July elections.

Both president Nicolás Maduro and opposition leader María Corina Machado, who is currently in hiding, have urged their supporters to take to the streets on Friday.View on euronews