“Peru is the country with the most Milei followers outside of Argentina”

The ‘influencer’ behind the Milei phenomenon reveals the attraction aroused by the eccentric presidential candidate Argentinian not only in their country, but also in ours. He says that the networks have been key in the electoral growth of the libertarian candidate, who next month will be one of the protagonists of the first round in the presidential elections.

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At just 22 years old, Gutiérrez is also a spokesperson for the youth of the La Libertad Avanza party.

—Who are the libertarians?

We come from many currents: patriots, conservatives, nationalists, economic liberals. Understanding the situation in which Argentina finds itself, we felt obliged to gather around Javier Milei.

—Do you have friends with other ideologies?

I had them. But when one’s militancy is so strong, those friendships tend to die, because the values ​​that define one are not shared.

—When you started your work in networks (four years ago), you were close to Mauricio Macri and Patricia Bullrich. Why did he then choose Milei?

At that time Milei was not yet a political alternative. She didn’t know him. When she launches, my girlfriend was her friend. There I made contact and proposed the idea of ​​making a TikTok to upload content. We started a year and a half ago and she did excellent.

—How many followers do you have?

Almost a million and a half.

—How did the election results impact the number of followers?

All networks grew after the primary elections [13 de agosto]. But that was more noticeable on Instagram, where there are close to three million of us.

—How was Milei’s growth in these last two years?

People gradually took him seriously. In the last year many people joined, but it is still an everyday job.

—What is the profile of Javier Milei’s follower? Mostly male?

I wouldn’t classify it only as men, but as young people. Many young people follow him. 60% of its followers are between 13 and 24 years old. This is fundamental, since the political project has a future if the youth is in it.

—Last decade it was said that Kirchnerism made young people return to politics. Do you think that liberalism has now taken that place?

Yes, it’s a great moment. We are proud that the majority of young people are with us.

—What attracts young people to Milei?

He speaks to us as equals, he has no problem telling things as they are. For young people that is positive, because we have been lied to a lot. People my age had not seen a candidate who was clear in explaining economic issues and possible solutions. Other candidates often treat us like idiots.

Milei and Iñaki Gutiérrez before a TV presentation. “He speaks to us young people as equals,” highlights Gutiérrez. (Personal file/)

—Why did you consider that TikTok would work?

It was perceived that he was well received by young people, so we had to take him to the social network where they are.

—Do you suggest content to Milei to upload to the network or does he propose?

Call me if you have an idea that seems interesting to you. On other occasions, I tell him topics he needs to talk about. He’s pretty consensual. Of course, we don’t have any script, I think that with a script they would come out wrong.

—What reach does a Milei video have on networks?

A publication can reach about 15 million people.

—What have been the most viral contents?

Those referring to dollarization. I also really like the question-answer format where it explains what its measurements would be.

—How do you see your competitors’ networks?

The differences are very marked. We multiplied by seven the followers of the second candidate (Patricia Bullrich) with the most followers on TikTok.

—Are the networks a good thermometer to measure the candidate’s harmony?

You have to think that political campaigns are no longer like before. Networks are great communication tools, you must have good management of them and a team connected to this reality.

—How many work in Javier Milei’s networks?

I am the only one who works with Javier’s personal networks. At La Libertad Avanza we have Eugenia Rolón, my girlfriend, who manages Victoria Villarruel’s networks (candidate for vice president), and a couple of other colleagues on the communications team.

—What is the reach of followers that Milei has in other countries?

In his personal accounts, Javier has a lot of Peruvian followers. It is the country with the most followers outside of Argentina. On TikTok, 10% of Javier Milei’s followers are from Lima. It is the fourth city, after Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Tucumán.

—Why do you think that happens?

We understand that in Peru there are many people who think like us. It was reflected in multiple elections, where candidates who, although they did not propose similar issues, did oppose similar issues such as communism, had a large flow of votes. So, it seems logical to me that there are people in Peru who see Javier with good eyes.

—Milei has at least controversial positions regarding issues that involve feminism. What is the level of participation of women in their networks?

43% of his followers are women, so I would talk to you about almost a half-and-half relationship.

—Due to certain positions expressed, a sector of citizens sees Milei as a threat to the achievement of social rights…

We learned to call anything that comes to mind right. But there are basic rights that have been lost long before: the right to life, to liberty, to private property, to have a decent job. If we are going to debate whether the State has to pay for the treatments of the trans population, it does not seem to me that we are debating the real problems that afflict us.

—Does anti-Kirchnerism define liberalism in Argentina?

It’s okay to define it that way, but it’s more than that. We are anti-Kirchnerists, but also a movement that comes to bet on real change in Argentina, different from what Together for Change could not do in 2015. Argentines feel that we are the real change.

—Do you study Law and Economics at a public or private university?

In a public, Law; and in a private one, Economy.

—Won’t the educational reform proposed by Milei – with fee-based public education and a voucher system for people – have an impact on access and quality?

No, because I recognize the excellence of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) in Law, which is why people will continue to choose it. They will even do much better with the new system, since they will be able to pay all the teachers who cannot today.

—Is there a risk of an authoritarian regime with Milei president?

If elected, there will be no authoritarianism. He will be elected to occupy the position and the only limit he would have would be the Constitution. It is more authoritarian not to respect the popular will. If they don’t like it, they can form a political party, run for elections and win, which is what we are doing.

Source: Elcomercio