How Milei and Bukele became references for Trump and the more conservative right in the USA.

Something surprising has just happened in the right-wing movement that fuels votes for donald trump in the United States: two Latin American presidents have joined its list of international stars.

This is the Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele and the Argentine Javier Mileiwho participated in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)by its acronym in English) which was completed on Saturday in the state of Maryland.

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With different harangues and advice, Bukele and Milei they pronounced two speeches applauded in this influential conservative forum, from the same stage where trump He spoke as the undisputed protagonist.

He former American president At the beginning of the message, he thanked Milei for being there as “a great honor” and even hugged the Argentine libertarian backstage on Saturday.

“We will make Argentina great again,” said Trump in this greeting, adapting the slogan with which he reached the White House in the 2016 elections and intends to do so again in November.

“Long live freedom, damn it!” shouted Milei and made Trump laughas can be seen in a video released of that meeting a few kilometers from the United States Capitol, which three years ago was violently invaded by followers of the then president.

A CPAC Other foreign politicians were present, such as the leader of the Spanish far-right party VoxSantiago Abascal, or former British Prime Minister Liz Truss.

But the presence of two Latin American heads of state was unique at a conference of conservatives who seemed to see the region as a source of problems linked to migration or drugs, rather than a source of political inspiration.

Then,How Bukele and Milei became leaders of Trumpism?

Coincidences

The president of CPACMatt Schlapp highlights that the idea of ​​inviting Milei came after hearing him at a similar event in Mexico, in November 2022, and highlighted his plan to cut state subsidies.

“We love the idea of ​​having a chainsaw to represent that it will eliminate expenses,” Schlapp told BBC Mundo in reference to one of the symbols of the Argentine libertarian campaign.

Bukele received lots of applause from participants at the conservative forum in the USA (GETTY IMAGES).

If Milei’s agenda coincides with the positions of North American conservatives on an economic level, Bukele’s controversial “tough hand” against crime seems to fit in with Trump’s intention to make security a campaign issue.

Bukele declared war on gangs and reduced El Salvador’s high homicide rates with a policy of mass incarceration and a state of emergency that critics say has led to numerous human rights violations.

But Schlapp dismisses the abuse allegations as “laughable.”

“What Bukele did in El Salvador was attack crime and criminals. And there are many people who live in our biggest cities [de EE.UU.] “I would like to see safer streets”, he compares.

Experts maintain that the American right has identified some benefits in inviting Bukele and Milei to their big annual meeting.

“For Trump and his conservative support base, it’s an opportunity to signal that his strongman governing style is popular and gaining traction outside the U.S.,” says Erica Frantz, a political science professor at Michigan State University who studies this type of government. leadership.

Trump was the protagonist of the meeting of American conservatives this year, when he intends to return to the White House. (GET IMAGES).

“I don’t think this is specifically about mobilizing the US Latino electorate, but rather an effort to signal to Trump’s entire conservative base that his autocratic rhetoric is ‘normal’ and that strongman politics is the only way. ” ”, Frantz told BBC Mundo.

On the other hand, for Bukele and Milei there may be potential advantages and risks for having gone to this political event, analysts warn.

“Baptism”

In his Thursday speech to CPAC, delivered in English, Bukele sought to resonate with his audience, criticizing common right-wing targets, such as non-governmental organizations or billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

But, as someone accused by critics of eroding democracy in his country and concentrating power in his hands, Bukele also left some advice that can have different interpretations.

“They say globalism is dying at CPAC. I’m here to tell you that in El Salvador he is already dead,” he said, eliciting a standing ovation from his US audience.

“But if we want globalism to die here too, we have to be willing to fight without remorse against everything and everyone who defends it,” he added.

“The next US president must not just win the election. He must have the vision, the will and the courage to do what is necessary. And, above all, he must be able to identify the underlying forces that will conspire against him .” he pointed out.

Giancarlo Summa, researcher at the Paris Higher School of Social Sciences and co-founder of the Mudral project (Multilateralism and Radical Right in Latin America), believes that this speech was a kind of political “baptism” for Bukele, which he avoided by defining himself as someone from right

“He has now chosen a side; the right has already chosen him as an idol”, Summa told BBC Mundo.

For him, CPAC works to create bonds of affinity between right-wingers who have common enemies and, by participating in it, both Bukele and Milei chose to have good relations with Trump if he wins the elections in which he will probably run. again, confront the current US president, Joe Biden.

Brazilian deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro – son of the former president and Trump ally, Jair Bolsonaro – also participated in the conference, maintaining that in his country there are abuses of justice in the case that investigates an alleged coup plot to prevent the current party from assuming power. President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Milei has expressed sympathy for Trump since his campaign last year, and although his speech on Saturday at CPAC had a certain academic tone on market and state issues, it also included criticism of the political class, the media and the “murderous abortion agenda.” ”. .

“Don’t allow the advancement of socialism, don’t endorse regulation, don’t endorse the idea of ​​market failures, don’t allow the murderous agenda to advance, and don’t get carried away by the siren song of social justice,” he said.

“I come from a country that bought into all those stupid ideas and, if it is one of the richest countries in the world, it is in 140th place,” he continued.

“If they don’t fight for their freedom, they will be forced into poverty.”

Milei received US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, shortly before traveling to the US to participate in the conservative meeting. (GET IMAGES).

Milei traveled to CPAC after meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Buenos Aires on Friday, at a time when he is facing increasing domestic political difficulties and seeking international support for his economic adjustment.

The American ambassador to ArgentinaMarc Stanley, discreetly conveyed to the Milei administration that the CPAC meeting was too political an event for the president to attend, according to multiple media reports.

The response he received was that Milei would avoid referring to US domestic political issues.

However, some analysts note that he may have already taken a risk.

“If Biden wins re-election, it is likely that the fact that Bukele and Milei approached Trump will create tensions”, says Frantz, who recalls that during the current term the US “was already quite disturbed by the serious violations of human rights by Trump.” the Bukele government”.

“If Milei ends up fulfilling her electoral promises, especially with regard to policies that suppress women’s rights”, says the political scientist, “it is likely that the Biden government will respond and express its opposition”.

Source: Elcomercio