After months of talks, Trump grants Milei his White House visit

President Javier Milei is to be officially – and formally – welcomed by Donald Trump at the White House, after months of private negotiations. The meeting comes with the explicit and implicit backing of the Republican government and is the fruit of an increasingly fluid relationship.

The Oval Office meeting was confirmed on Monday by the Foreign Ministry in Buenos Aires, which described it as proof of the “excellent bilateral relationship” between Argentina and the United States under Milei. It underlined that the visit is an opportunity to “strengthen the strategic association” between both countries.

“On October 14, President Javier Milei will go on an official visit to the United States and will have the honour of being welcomed at the White House by President Donald J. Trump," the Foreign Ministry posted on X.

The announcement of the high-level meeting between the Western partners comes just a week after Milei’s visit to New York for the UN General Assembly. He had a meeting with Trump himself and key figures from the financial world. 

Confirmation of the meeting comes after months of negotiations between both teams, taking into the US President’s busy schedule, his global tariff dispute, the competition with China, the Republican’s programme of mass deportations and Trump’s quest to be the “peacemaker” of the most pressing international conflicts.

On the Argentine side, everything has been heading in this direction, seeking the highest-level diplomatic photo-op before the end of the year. 

The push has been spearheaded by the Casa Rosada since the beginning of the Milei administration. Sources confirm to Perfil that Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei took up the reins of Argentine diplomacy following former foreign minister Diana Mondino’s abrupt exit in late October last year. 

Beyond the alignment with the United States and Israel ("the only certain element" in the first phase of the administration's foreign policy), a formal invitation to the White House has beeb one of the government’s top priorities.

Dual interpretation

Trump’s latest gesture towards his southern ally can be read two ways.

First, economically, as part of recent progress towards a possible trade agreement – Milei has been unable to escape the 10 percent tariffs imposed by Trump, along with the 25 percent levied on steel and aluminium imports. Furthermore, the announcement came just days after Trump and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent offered unprecedented backing to the Argentine government’s financial programme by agreeing to a US$20-billion currency swap, a decision triggering its own bout of political turbulence in the United States.

In parallel, the political (or ideological) angle also comes into play. This relates to the run-up to Argentina’s midterm elections of October 26, in which the libertarian experiment’s ability to govern in the next phase is at stake. This is a matter of interest for Washington, as shown by key figures in Trump’s inner circle, from Bessent to the incoming ambassador to Buenos Aires, Peter Lamelas. And Trump himself, who chose to throw his support behind the President in his electoral battles – a gesture of goodwill that echoes the time when Milei’s star advisor, Santiago Caputo, publicly backed the MAGA movement with a photo from the Casa Rosada ahead of the November 2024 US elections.

“I look forward to continuing to working closely with him so that both of our Countries can continue of their incredible paths of success. Argentina: Javier Milei is a very good friend, fighter, and WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election as President – He will never let you down!” posted the US President on social media after meeting Milei in New York last week.

Milei wants to move past the botched meeting last April at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, which caused discomfort in the libertarian administration when the Argentine delegation left just before the tycoon’s arrival.

Since then, Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein and Argentina’s Ambassador to the US, businessman Alec Oxenford, have taken on the task of fulfilling Milei’s highest international ambition: for the US president to welcome him at the Oval Office – an act of considerable significance in a global order dominated by the world’s leading power.

Milei at the White House

With a confirmed date of October 14, this time the visit will be official and full of honours: Milei and his delegation will be hosted at Blair House, the official residence for visiting heads of state in Washington.

"This meeting represents a new opportunity to continue strengthening the strategic partnership between both countries, based on shared values and a common commitment to freedom, democracy, and the prosperity of our peoples," stated Argentina’s Foreign Ministry.

With this visit, Milei will become the first South American leader to secure the coveted “official photo” with Trump – a clear sign of the strategic alliance between the United States and the La Libertad Avanza government at all levels: commercial, military (with the purchase of F-16 fighter jets), and even nuclear (following the signing of the FIRST agreement).

Unlike previous encounters at international events, such as the conservative CPAC summit or the UN General Assembly, this is the meeting Milei has long desired, one that will consolidate his ideological alignment with Washington. The big question is whether it will translate into trade benefits for two mostly competitive economies.

To date, Trump had not welcomed any president from the Southern Cone to the White House. His only meeting with a Latin American leader was with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, a pawn in his programme of deportation policies and broader regional security framework. 

Despite tensions within US domestic politics, Trump’s endorsement of Milei is seen as a clear signal of support, particularly at a delicate moment for Argentina.

The bilateral meeting will also be interpreted as a positive signal to the markets following weeks of volatility. With the 26 October midterm elections just around the corner, the encounter will be viewed as renewed political support for Milei’s government. The gesture even comes as ongoing corruption scandals tainting the libertarian administration’s brand – from alleged bribe-taking involving Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei and the ANDIS national disability agency, to links between his top candidate José Luis Espert and Fred Machado, who is wanted by US authorities in a major drug-trafficking case.