Donald Trump described it as an “honor” to meet Argentina’s President Javier Milei in Florida ahead of a conservative investment summit.
The meeting marked the first time a foreign leader has met with Trump since his victory in the U.S. presidential election on November 5.
At a gala held Thursday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, Milei congratulated the president-elect, stating it demonstrated that “the forces of heaven [were] on our side.”
Milei is set to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Investor Summit on Friday.
On the eve of the summit, CBS, the BBC’s U.S. partner, reported via an anonymous source that the two leaders had indeed met.
Speaking at the America First Policy Institute gala that evening, Milei proclaimed that “the winds of freedom [were] blowing much stronger” following Trump’s election victory.
Delivering his address in both English and Spanish, the self-proclaimed “anarcho-capitalist” criticized unfair tax systems that enforced “the redistribution of wealth at gunpoint.”
He also lauded billionaire Elon Musk, who is set to lead Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, and credited Musk’s social media platform, X, with efforts to “save humanity.”
Milei and Trump first crossed paths at the annual CPAC in February, where the Argentinian leader enthusiastically approached Trump backstage, shouting “President!” before embracing him and posing for photographs.
After Milei’s speech on Thursday, Trump expressed his pleasure in welcoming him to Mar-a-Lago, referring to him as “a MAGA person.”
“The job you’ve done is incredible.
“Make Argentina Great Again… he’s doing that.”
Argentinian media previously reported that Milei would be seeking a free trade agreement with the United States once Trump took office.
“The elected [Trump] government feels much more comfortable working with me than with other governments, and that has commercial and financial implications,” Milei said, according to La Nación.
Tickets for the CPAC Investor Summit, a supplemental event to the annual conference, are priced as high as $25,000 (£19,350).
CPAC, which bills itself as the largest annual gathering of conservatives in the United States, describes its mission as “preserving and protecting the values of life, liberty, and property for every American.” It is also recognized as the country’s oldest conservative grassroots organization.
Prominent speakers at the annual CPAC in February included Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Earlier this month, the Republican Party secured full control of the U.S. government, a milestone last achieved at the start of Trump’s first term in 2017.