Argentina's Milei warns WEF to reject socialism, says 'Western world is in danger'
Argentine President Javier Milei warned attendees of the World Economic Forum to reject socialism and said that Western values and systems are under threat.
New Argentine President Javier Milei stunned social media users this week with his speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Switzerland, where he called out Western elites for trading freedom for "collectivism."
Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist elected to office in November based on his commitment to slashing government spending, confronted those attending the Davos gathering on Wednesday, telling them the West is "in danger" because of their agenda.
"Today I’m here to tell you that the Western world is in danger. And it is in danger because those who are supposed to have defended the values of the West are co-opted by a vision of the world that inevitably leads to socialism and thereby to poverty," Milei said.
At the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, Argentine President Javier Milei called out Western leaders for promoting collectivism in recent decades. (Fabrice Coffrini /AFP)
"Unfortunately, in recent decades, motivated by some well-meaning individuals willing to help others, and others motivated by the wish to belong to a privileged caste, the main leaders of the Western world have abandoned the model of freedom for different versions of what we call collectivism," he continued. "We’re here to tell you that collectivist experiments are never the solution to the problems that afflict the citizens of the world, rather they are the root cause."
"Do believe me, no one [is] in a better place than us Argentines to testify to these two points," he added.
Milei’s message especially resonated with conservatives on social media, who expressed satisfaction at seeing a world leader slamming some of the world’s leftist elites to their faces.
Political activist Collin Rugg posted the video and quoted from the speech, saying, "NEW: President of Argentina Javier Milei demolishes socialism in front of a bunch of socialists at the World Economic Forum."
"Why can't we get a guy like this in America? This is supposed to be our thing," conservative kids' show writer Frank Fleming wrote.
ARGENTINA WON'T JOIN BRICS AS SCHEDULED, SAYS MEMBER OF MILEI'S TRANSITION TEAM
Argentine President Javier Milei gestures during his inauguration ceremony at National Congress in Buenos Aires on Dec. 10, 2023. (Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images)
"A Great leader," actor Robert Davi said.
Conservative commentator Paul Szypula compared Milei to former President Trump.
"Javier Milei drops truth bombs just like Trump. Gotta love it and what it means at the very least for the people of Argentina," he wrote.
Conservative journalist Ian Miles Cheong proclaimed, "Milei knocked it out of the park," adding, "Leftism does not work."
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox