Argentine President Javier Milei is likely to attend the inauguration of newly elected President Donald Trump in January, according to an Argentine diplomatic official. While his attendance has not been publicly confirmed, the official says all signs point to Milei traveling to Washington DC for the swearing-in ceremony.
A spokesperson for Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for comment.
Milei, one Trump acolyte who was elected last year and describes himself as an “anarcho-capitalist,” posted a link to a news story on X on Monday and wrote “Make Argentina Great Again Make America Great Again,” adding a handshake emoji among emojis of the U.S. and Argentinian flag. .
Bloomberg News was the first to report Milei’s presence at the inauguration, citing a spokesperson for the Argentine government.
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Milei is the first world leader expected to be in Washington for the Jan. 20 event, although arrangements are being made for the participation of others. CBS News reported last week that Chinese President Xi Jinping, who personally invited Trump to the inauguration, was probably not presentaccording to several sources.
Trump confirmed Monday that he has exchanged letters with Xi and “would like to have him.” [at the inauguration]but there hasn’t been much discussion” about whether he will accept the invitation.
Trump added that he has received calls from more than 100 world leaders since winning the election and, when asked specifically, said he had not invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
State Department records from 1874 show that no world leader attended an American transfer of power ceremony. Traditionally, foreign ambassadors and their spouses represent their governments during the quadrennial event.
Milei met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago shortly after the November election.
Jennifer Jacobs, Margaret Brennan and Arden Farhi contributed to this report.
