President Javier Milei defended Elon Musk, attacked the “cancer” of “wokeism” and hailed Argentina as “a global example” of “fiscal responsibility” on Thursday as he delivered a keynote speech to world leaders.
Making his second appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Milei used his address to highlight the progress made in his first year in office and claim credit for a growing “international alliance” of nations seeking freedom.
Defending the traditional values of the West, which he described as “the peak of the human species,” Milei then doubled down on his “cultural battle” against so-called “wokeism,”a term used by the far right to refer to progressive policies targeting social inequalities policies.
He also launched a furious defence of Musk, the controversial billionaire Tesla and SpaceX owner, who he said had come under a “sinister” attack.
“The mental virus of woke ideology,” argued Milei, is “an epidemic that is destroying the foundations of Western civilisation.
“‘Woke is the cancer that needs to be extirpated. It has colonised our institutions, our universities, our media and even our supranational bodies,” he said.
“It is the result of cultural subversion,” the head of state told Davos’ gathering of the global elite, complaining that “wokeism” is designed to “criticism and dissent.”
“Feminism, equality, gender ideology, climate change, abortion and immigration, are all heads of the same monster, whose aim is to justify the advance of the state,” he added.
“This is the great epidemic in our time that must be cured. It is the cancer that must be removed,” said the La Libertad Avanza leader, referring to progressive policies designed to tackle social inequalities.
Milei devoted a significant part of his speech to defending the traditional values of Western civilisation.
“The West represents the peak of the human species. We are the product of the combination of Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian culture,” he stressed.
“Wokeism,” he said, was a “result of an inversion of Western values.”
‘Truths’
After a brief introduction by Davos boss Børge Brende – who reeled off the Argentine leader’s achievements and called for a round of applause – Milei opened his remarks in a reflective tone.
Recalling his appearance at last year’s summit, he noted how much had changed in the past 12 months.
“A year ago I stood here in front of you alone and spoke some truths about the state of the Western world that were received with some surprise and astonishment,” he recalled.
At the time, he said, Argentina was seen as a country in decline. He was seen as “the president of a country that, as a result of systematic economic failure for over a hundred years” had “lost practically all international relevance.”
But under his government, inflation has plummeted, the books have been balanced and Argentina is no longer a global pariah, said Milei.
Today, “the world embraces Argentina,” he declared.
“Argentina has become a global example of fiscal responsibility, of commitment to our obligations, of how to put an end to the problem of inflation and also of a new way of doing politics, which consists of telling the truth to people's faces and trusting that people will understand,” said the head of state.
“I told them that this was the beginning of a new Argentina, which had been infected by socialism for a long time,” he said, referring to his speech at last year’s summit, which drew global attention.
“I no longer feel so alone,” said Milei.
”Slowly, an international alliance of all nations that want to be free and embrace the ideas of freedom has been forming,” he continued, outlining his allies.
“Throughout this year I have been able to find partners in this fight in every corner of the planet, from the wonderful Elon Musk, to the fierce Italian lady, my dear friend Giorgia Meloni; from [Nayib] Bukele in El Salvador to Viktor Orbán in Hungary; from Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to Donald Trump in the United States,” he added.
Defence of Musk
Milei launched a fierce defence of his “dear friend” Musk, slamming critics who recently accused the billionaire Tesla and SpaceX owner of performing a Nazi salute at a rally in Washington marking US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The billionaire “has been unfairly vilified by the woke in recent hours for an innocent gesture that means nothing but gratitude and closeness to the people,” he explained.
Criticising his hosts, he alleged that events such as Davos “have been protagonists and promoters of the sinister agenda of wokeism that is doing so much damage to the West.”
Echoing a phrase used by Trump in his recent inaugural address, Milei stressed that the international “golden age” of freedom could not come if “this aberrant ideology” remains in force.
“Otherwise, the fate of the West will be the same as that of all civilisations that have allowed themselves to be overrun by the destructive ideologies of the past,” he said.
“Social justice is nothing more than the disguise of socialism. And socialism, in all its forms, always ends in misery,” he stated emphatically.
It is time, said the La Libertad Avanza leader, to go “back to liberalism.”
“The political formulas of the last decades have failed,” he declared.
“Today we are witnessing a global exhaustion of this system that has dominated us for the last decades,” said Milei.
Milei was also unsparing in his criticism of international organisations, especially those that promote climate change and human rights policies.
– TIMES/AFP/NA
