The Madrid Economic Forum at the Vistalegre Palace in the capital reached its climax with the highly anticipated intervention of Argentine President Javier Milei. The libertarian leader was greeted with cheers and shouts of “Pedro Sánchez, son of a bitch,” which he readily embraced, referring to Sánchez as a “local bandit.” Milei then delivered a lecture outlining the benefits of his management after a year and a half in the Casa Rosada. In a very enthusiastic speech, he prophesied that “inflation will be a thing of the past by 2026 and Argentina will be the leading power in the world within 40 years.”
The Argentine president defended the adjustment, the “chainsaw,” because “it worked.” “The adjustment had to fall on the public sector, on the political caste. We have cut public spending by 30 percent, and that has returned revenue to the private sector. GDP did not decline, but increased by 6%. When public spending is cut, the private sector expands,” explained the economist who became a political star, adding: “We have to stop looking at votes, and we have to do what the economy requires.”
“The state is a criminal organization, and taxes are theft,” Milei summarized, also defending his security policy, by investing significantly in defense, and his foreign policy: “We have demonstrated for peace, for free trade, for the understanding that where trade enters, bullets do not enter.” He also defended the adoption of Western values, referring to “Judeo-Christian culture, the God of Israel, Greece, Rome, and liberal democracy.” The palaeo-libertarian leader warned those present that “regulations are killing Europe.” After stating in his declaration that “the ideas of freedom work,” the Argentine president called on those present to “courageously fight against corrupt politicians.” “Against the shitty socialists, I will always be on your side,” he said in a clear allusion to Pedro Sánchez, as part of the stands interrupted him with insults directed at the President of the Government.
Freedom Against the State: Forum’s Visionaries
Before Milei, his guru Agustín Laje spoke, defending freedom as the absence of state coercion: “The more state, the less freedom; the less state, the more freedom. The idea of more state for more social justice has destroyed Argentina. Now everyone has realized that a giant state is a danger.” He also criticized egalitarian policies, because “the problem is not inequality, but poverty.” “Socialists don’t believe in equality; what they want is to equalize everyone in poverty,” said Laje, who received a standing ovation from the respectable audience. Before him, Donald Trump’s political advisor Alex Bruesewitz spoke and advised conservatives to defend the working class and their traditions. Specifically, he urged Spaniards to defend bullfighting as a cultural asset to be preserved, which also received a very positive reaction from the 7,500 attendees on the second day of the Madrid Economic Forum.
Economic Perspectives and Unexpected Turns
From an economic perspective, businessman Martín Varsavsky explained how he fell off the cake with renewable energies and criticized solar panels and wind turbines. Economist Marc Vidal threw a “Tomahawk” against prevailing thinking and criticized the digital euro, chat control, and facial recognition, considering them freedom-dependent control instruments. He is aware that all his positions are currently branded as “conspiracy,” and warned: “They will tell us that all of this will not happen.”
The most anticipated presentation of the morning was that of former Vox deputy Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, who was greeted with shouts of “President, President!” which the speaker who had announced his candidacy for the presidency could not ignore… of their community of neighbors. Many did not hear this last part due to the euphoria of the moment, so they thought they would be electing a liberal candidate in the next general elections. It seems that this will not be the case.
In any case, and despite the fact that his speech was very critical of the current political class, Espinosa sent a message of optimism: “Spain, our country, our nation, will move forward and it will do well, but that will not be thanks to these politicians. It will be thanks to the efforts of people like you, civil society.” “We have talent even from the world of cooking, entertainment, performing arts, music, and sports. Well, talent everywhere, just not in one place. Which one? Politics,” criticized Espinosa, who was among the most cheered individuals at the Palazzo Vistalegre this weekend. Another highly acclaimed lecture was that of Juan Ramón Rallo, economic guru and idol of many attendees. Rallo explained the structural causes that make access to housing difficult in Spain. Above all, an avalanche of migration that, together with the lack of construction of new housing, has led to an excessive price increase.
