‘Make Argentina Great Again’: Milei bets on U.S. backing, reforms, and billion-dollar deals to revive Argentina - Video

Speaking in Buenos Aires, Milei said the United States had offered “historic support” to stabilise Argentina’s economy “in this moment of political turbulence.” He framed the backing from Washington as a turning point for the country: “The courage, effort, and patience of all Argentines are an example for the nations of the West,” he said, adding that the U.S. had chosen to accompany Argentina “at a time when the forces of the past are fighting with all their strength to ruin the future once again.”

The announcement followed the U.S. Treasury’s approval of a $20 billion financial framework to strengthen Argentina’s liquidity and market confidence. But Milei’s domestic agenda, unveiled in parallel, may prove just as transformative. He pledged to eliminate around 20 taxes that “complicate more than they collect,” describing Argentina’s habit of creating “ridiculous and distortive” levies as an addiction he intends to cut “at its root.” The government also plans to liberalise labour contracts, allowing employees to negotiate payments in any currency. “If someone wants to receive their entire salary in dollars, they will be able to do so,” he said.

Beyond deregulation, Milei outlined a vision of global economic integration. Argentina, he promised, will “open its doors to goods and services from all over the world” — ensuring that store shelves display products “from Montevideo, Mexico City, New York, Barcelona, and even Bangladesh or Tokyo.” This, he said, would come with safeguards to protect local producers, but only after taxes, bureaucracy, and credit costs are sharply reduced.

The president also highlighted unprecedented foreign investment commitments. He announced a $30 billion energy partnership between Argentina’s state oil company YPF and Italy’s ENI — the largest in the nation’s history — to develop liquefied natural gas projects that could export up to $20 billion annually. In the tech sector, OpenAI plans to invest $25 billion to build large-scale data centres, a move that Milei said would make Argentina “the world’s third artificial intelligence hub.”

With these reforms and alliances, Milei says he aims to “unlock the powerful domino effect of economic growth” and leave behind “the dark era of the last 15 years,” when no genuine net jobs were created. His “Make Argentina Great Again” plan, he insists, is more than a slogan — it’s a roadmap for restoring Argentina’s place in the global economy ahead of next year’s crucial mid-term elections.