1. Javier Milei rose to public prominence in the 2010s by appearing as a pundit in various Argentinian television programs, in which he was a vocal critic of the Argentine political establishment.
110 Facts About Javier Milei
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Javier Milei pledged not to raise taxes and donated his national deputy salary through a monthly raffle.
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Javier Milei defeated the incumbent economy minister, Sergio Massa, in the second round of the 2023 presidential election, on a platform that held the ideological dominance of Kirchnerism responsible for the ongoing Argentine monetary crisis.
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Javier Milei has been described politically as a right-wing populist and right-wing libertarian who supports laissez-faire economics, aligning specifically with minarchist and anarcho-capitalist principles.
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Javier Milei has proposed a comprehensive overhaul of the country's fiscal and structural policies.
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Javier Gerardo Milei was born on 22 October 1970 in Palermo, Buenos Aires, to Norberto Milei and Alicia Lucich.
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Javier Milei grew up in the neighborhood of Villa Devoto and later moved to the Saenz Pena district.
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Javier Milei is of paternal Italian descent, tracing his heritage to the municipalities of Cosenza and Rossano in the Calabria region of Southern Italy.
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Furthermore, Javier Milei revealed in 2024 that his grandfather, a great influence in his life, discovered that he was a Jew from matrilineal descent shortly before his death.
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Javier Milei's parents, according to Milei, beat and verbally abused him.
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Javier Milei was supported by his maternal grandmother and his younger sister Karina, with whom he shares a close bond and whom he calls "the boss".
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Javier Milei attended Catholic schools, including the Cardenal Copello secondary school.
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Javier Milei played goalkeeper for the Chacarita Juniors football team until 1989, when Argentina suffered from hyperinflation, and he committed to a career in economics.
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The collapse of Argentina's exchange rate led to Javier Milei becoming interested in economics during the early 1980s.
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Javier Milei studied introductory economics and the law of supply and demand, which he thought seemed at odds with the ongoing hyperinflation; he said he saw people "throwing themselves on top of the merchandise" in a supermarket and began to study economics in more detail to understand it.
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Javier Milei obtained an economics degree from the private University of Belgrano and two master's degrees from the Instituto de Desarrollo Economico y Social and the private Torcuato di Tella University.
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For over 20 years, Javier Milei was a professor of macroeconomics, the economics of growth, microeconomics, and mathematics for economists.
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Javier Milei specializes in economic growth and has taught several economic subjects in Argentine universities and abroad.
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Javier Milei had written more than 50 academic papers by 2016.
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Javier Milei served as chief economist at several national and international government public bodies.
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Since 2012, Javier Milei has led the Economic Studies division at Fundacion Acordar, a national think tank.
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Javier Milei is a member of the B20 and a member of the Economic Policy Group of the International Chamber of Commerce, an advisor to the G20.
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Javier Milei is the author of several books, including El camino del libertario.
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Javier Milei has a notable presence on television, with a 2018 ranking by Ejes showing him as the most interviewed economist on TV, at 235 interviews and 193,347 seconds.
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Javier Milei hosted his own radio show, Demoliendo mitos, featuring regular appearances by Alberdian and right-wing libertarian personalities, including the economist and businessman Gustavo Lazzari, the lawyer Pablo Torres Barthe, and the political scientist Maria Zaldivar.
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In February 2017, Javier Milei considered Domingo Cavallo the best minister of the economy of Argentina because he had ended the 1989 hyperinflation and started reforms in the state.
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Javier Milei blamed the 2001 crisis on the mistakes of the previous ministers of the economy - mistakes that Cavallo could not fix in time.
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On 26 June 2018, Javier Milei called journalist Teresita Frias a burro after she criticized his ideological views as totalitarian.
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From 2020 to 2021, Javier Milei was a member of Avanza Libertad, a political party founded by Jose Luis Espert.
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Javier Milei pledged not to support any tax increases or new taxes.
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Javier Milei ran under the slogan "I didn't come here to lead lambs, but to awaken lions", denouncing what he saw as a political caste, which he said was composed of "useless, parasitic politicians who have never worked".
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Javier Milei called politicians "rats" and said they form "a parasitic caste" that thinks only about getting rich.
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Javier Milei used phrases like "I'm here to kick these criminals out" and was especially supported by youth; he promoted his political views on television, radio, and YouTube.
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In July 2021, Javier Milei established the coalition La Libertad Avanza, which secured third place in primary elections with 13.66 percent of the vote and third in the 2021 Argentine legislative election with 17 percent, and the libertarian coalition entered the Argentine Congress.
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In July 2023, Javier Milei faced an investigation into the alleged selling of candidacies within La Libertad Avanza.
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Javier Milei was accused of having been funded and supported by Peronism.
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Journalist Juan Luis Gonzalez said that Javier Milei "allowed himself to be financed by provincial governments, received technical, logistical, and monetary aid from the Peronism that he claims to fight, threatened all those who wanted to open their mouths".
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On 18 December 2021, Javier Milei promoted Coinx World on his Instagram account after touring their offices in Buenos Aires.
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Coinx World used Javier Milei's visit to promote its financial services on social media and claimed to be the first Latin American fintech using high-performance algorithmic trading.
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At that time, neither Javier Milei was registered in Argentina's National Securities Commission to make invitations to the public to invest nor did Coinx World had the authorization to operate in the public offering, which led the National Securities Commission to declare it as an irregular public offering in 2022.
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Javier Milei defended the fintech on social media when some followers pointed out it could be a Pyramid scheme.
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In February 2022, Javier Milei publicly praised the digital asset of the video game company Vulcano on social media.
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Javier Milei's supporters include those who once voted for Kirchnerism but would now vote for Milei as a protest even if they did not support his economic ideas.
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Notable moments in Javier Milei's campaign included a viral video of him tearing cards from a wallboard with the names of ministries that he wants to abolish and tossing them into the air as he said afuera, wielding a chainsaw on stage, smashing a pinata on air to symbolize his plans, calling Pope Francis "a filthy leftist", and praising American gangster Al Capone as "a hero".
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Javier Milei's victory was celebrated by right-wing figures, including Jair Bolsonaro, Jose Antonio Kast, Ted Cruz, and the Spanish conservative political party Vox.
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Polls had predicted that Massa would secure the most votes as a candidate in the primaries, with Juntos por el Cambio expected to be the most supported coalition overall; Javier Milei polled at about 20 percent and was seen as an outsider candidate.
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Javier Milei's rise has been placed within the context of the last two presidencies of Mauricio Macri and Alberto Fernandez.
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Javier Milei's cabinet includes ministers from La Libertad Avanza and Juntos por el Cambio.
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Javier Milei lowered the number of ministries from 18 to 9.
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Javier Milei appointed three secretariats with portfolio rank, including his sister, to the position of General Secretary of the Presidency, after modifying the anti-nepotism law prohibiting the appointment of family members.
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On 26 February 2025, Javier Milei appointed both of them by presidential decrees after they failed to obtain clearance in the senate.
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In 2024, under President Javier Milei, Argentina saw major economic changes, focusing on austerity, deregulation, and reducing government spending.
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Wages, along with purchasing power in Argentina began falling in October 2023, before Javier Milei was elected and inaugurated as president.
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Javier Milei, convinced that the peronist establishment largely caused the economic crisis, made it his main objective during the first year of his presidency to stop the situation from getting worse through anti-inflationary economic policies, and to diminish the influence of peronism.
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Monthly inflation slowed in February 2024 for a second consecutive month as Javier Milei continued to push austerity and deregulation measures to revive the country's struggling economy.
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Wages, along with purchasing power in Argentina began falling in October 2023, before Javier Milei was elected and inaugurated as president.
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The cuts are largely attributed to Javier Milei cutting public works.
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The bonds have rallied from lows that took the 2030 issue to 18.125 cents in July 2022, fueled by investor bets that the cabinet of Javier Milei will be able to transform the Argentine economy successfully.
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In July 2024, Javier Milei set up the Ministry of Deregulation and State Transformation, to assist the government in matters related to deregulation, reform, and modernization of the Argentine state.
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Javier Milei has admitted to shipping some portion of Argentina's gold reserves abroad, though his government has resisted specifying the quantity or location they were sent to.
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Javier Milei's actions have led to Argentina regaining a favourable relation with the IMF after having been in a precarious position for almost 2 years, securing a 20 billion dollar loan.
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Javier Milei made a radical change to Argentina's traditional foreign policy, aligning Argentina with the United States and Israel.
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Javier Milei first supported Ukraine in its defense against Russia, and sent military helicopters to Ukraine during the first months of his presidency.
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Javier Milei cooled relations with Russia, and has considered sending more lethal aid to Ukraine.
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However, since the change in US administration in 2025, Javier Milei's government has shifted away from its previous firmly pro-Ukrainian stance, backing US-led peace efforts.
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Javier Milei made a state visit to Israel on 6 February 2024, in which he announced plans to relocate the Argentine embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and where he visited a kibbutz that had been attacked by Hamas militants during the October 7 attacks.
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Javier Milei declared two days of national mourning over the return of the bodies of the Bibas family -who were Argentine citizens- on February 21,2025.
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In Latin America, Javier Milei dismissed the results of the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election as "fraudulent" and called on Nicolas Maduro to resign.
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Javier Milei met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the second inauguration of Donald Trump, and reaffirmed the intention to continue to pressure Maduro to exit power.
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Javier Milei is a strong opponent of the Cuban government, calling President Miguel Diaz-Canel "despicable" and referring to Cuba as a "prison island".
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In October 2024, Javier Milei fired foreign minister Diana Mondino after she failed to vote for the US embargo on Cuba at the UN, later assuring that Argentina condemns the "Cuban dictatorship".
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In July 2024, Javier Milei had a diplomatic confrontation with Bolivian President Luis Arce over the 2024 Bolivian coup attempt, which Javier Milei dismissed as "false" and orchestrated by Arce himself.
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Javier Milei enjoys a friendly personal relationship with former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and US president Donald Trump, and attended Trump's second inauguration as President in January 2025 in Washington.
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Similar to Trump's first measures, Javier Milei expressed intention to withdraw Argentina from the Paris Accord and the World Health Organization, saying that the government is studying the possibilities of suspending Argentina's memberships.
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In February 2025, Javier Milei publicly promoted the cryptocurrency $LIBRA, a meme coin, on his X account; the coin suffered a disastrous price drop shortly afterwards.
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Javier Milei conceded that promoting the coin was a mistake on his part, noting that he did not participate in its development.
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Novelli was reported to have accepted bribes in exchange for providing access to the president and having facilitated the president's promotion of the token; although there is no evidence that Javier Milei was aware of this.
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Javier Milei has been variously described as right-wing libertarian, ultraconservative, far-right, right-wing populist, and ultra-liberal.
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Javier Milei has described himself as a philosophical anarcho-capitalist who is, for practical purposes, a minarchist.
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Javier Milei criticizes socialism and communism, advocating economic liberalization and restructuring government ministries.
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Javier Milei opposes Argentina's Central Bank and current taxation policies.
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Economically, Javier Milei is influenced by the Austrian school, and admires former President Carlos Menem's policies.
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Javier Milei proposes reducing government ministries and addressing economic challenges through spending cuts and fiscal reforms, criticizing previous administrations for excessive spending.
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Javier Milei has praised the monetary policies of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and called her "a great leader".
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Javier Milei opposes abortion and euthanasia, is indifferent to same-sex marriage, and supports privatization in education and healthcare.
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Javier Milei opposes mandatory vaccination and supports drug legalization and the legalization of prostitution.
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In foreign policy, Javier Milei criticizes the IMF, opposes trade unions, aligns with anti-socialist figures of the Americas like Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, and prioritizes alliances with the United States and Israel.
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Javier Milei is cautious about relations with China and supports Ukraine against Russia in the latter's ongoing invasion.
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Javier Milei opposes the transgender rights movement and what he calls a "cult of gender ideology".
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Javier Milei scrapped labor quotas designed to hire more transgender people in the government but has not criminalized transgender identity or gender clinics.
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Javier Milei has cultivated a complex and controversial public image marked by a blend of populist, right-wing libertarian, and conservative ideologies.
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Javier Milei's rise to prominence during the 2023 presidential campaign, fueled by his primary win, sparked widespread attention, as did his central bank abolition and dollarization proposals.
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Javier Milei is known for his flamboyant personality, distinctive personal style, and strong media presence, which sometimes causes controversy, and his embrace of conspiracy theories, including the Cultural Marxism conspiracy theory.
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Javier Milei has called the idea of climate change as an anthropogenic phenomenon "a socialist lie" and said that concerns about it are nothing more than "deceptions promoted by the neo-Marxists", as are those related to the attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election.
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Javier Milei's party was criticized for including among his candidates apologists for the National Reorganization Process.
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Javier Milei is a cosplayer with a superhero persona called "General AnCap".
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Javier Milei's admirers call him "The Lion" because of the lyrics of the song "Panic Show" by rock band La Renga, which he sings in his public acts, coupled with his looks.
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The chainsaw has become an enduring and popular symbol associated with Javier Milei, specifically symbolizing his "cutting" of regulations, bureaucracy, and red tape in Argentina.
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Javier Milei was awarded the 2025 Genesis Prize in recognition of his support of Israel.
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Javier Milei is unmarried and, while he was a presidential candidate, said that, if elected, he would have his sister take the role of First Lady of Argentina.
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Javier Milei called the role "anachronic" and declared that this decision was taken after discussions with both his sister and his girlfriend, actress Fatima Florez.
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Javier Milei originally announced he was dating Fatima Florez in August 2023.
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Javier Milei has confessed that he professes a "fanaticism" for Judaism.
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Javier Milei owns five cloned English Mastiffs, their progenitor being Conan, who died in 2017 after suffering from spinal cancer.
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Javier Milei said that he cloned Conan because he understands cloning as "a way of approaching eternity".
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Javier Milei has called his dogs his "four-legged children", and thanked them after his electoral win.
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Javier Milei commented that one day there was a fire at his building while he was watching TV, which he realized because Conan made for the balcony.
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Javier Milei escaped with him using the emergency ladder, and took him to the vet, who gave oxygen to Milei because he was developing symptoms of cyanosis.
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Javier Milei is a huge fan of the English rock band The Rolling Stones.
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In December 2024, while holding the office of Head of State, Javier Milei applied for and was granted Italian citizenship via jus sanguinis, under the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.