Argentine President Javier Milei is in a wintry Washington D.C. for Donald Trump’s inauguration as 47th President of the United States on Monday. His presence cements the pair’s far-right ideological affinities and raises the question of what U.S.-Argentine relations will look like while the pair overlap in office.

Milei attended a religious ceremony at 10 a.m. before proceeding to the official inauguration. The event is usually held outside, but was moved to the Rotunda, a room inside the Capitol, because of the icy winter temperatures. In the evening, Milei will attend the Starlight Gala, according to presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni.

In his inauguration speech, Trump promised several executive orders and other measures that would affect Latin America and Latin Americans in the United States. These include declaring a national emergency at the US-Mexico border, declaring drug cartels to be foreign terrorist organizations, and reinstating the “remain in Mexico” policy Trump implemented during his first presidency.

“We will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came,” he said.

He also promised the United States would “take back” the Panama Canal. “China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn’t give it to China,” he said. “We gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.”

The Gulf of Mexico, he said, would be renamed “the Gulf of America” — a proposal Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum mocked when Trump first mentioned it earlier in the transition.

Milei’s Argentina inspires Trump’s United States

Trump and Milei have met twice. He was the first world leader to meet with Trump after he won the U.S. elections in November, attending a gala at the incoming US president’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. The pair also greeted each other informally backstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C. last February.

The incoming US president has heaped public praise on Milei in the past, comparing the Argentine’s leadership with his own. “Even Argentina, they went MAGA, you know Argentina, great guy,” Trump told the crowd at a rally in March. “He’s a big Trump guy. He loves Trump, I love him, because he loves Trump. When he called I took his call, and anybody that loves me, I like them!”

Argentina’s Deregulation Minister, Federico Sturzenegger, said in a November interview that Trump’s decision to appoint business magnate Elon Musk to a newly-created “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) was inspired by Milei. Addressing business leaders in November, the president said that Musk was talking with Sturzenegger to discuss replicating his model in the U.S.

Vivek Ramaswarmy greets Javier Milei

On Sunday night, Milei attended the Official Hispanic Inaugural Ball, an event chaired by incoming Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senator Ted Cruz. According to its website, the ball seeks to recognize the “achievements and impact of U.S. Hispanics. “

On stage at the ball, Vivek Ramaswarmy called Milei “our hero” and thanked him, saying: “We’re learning a lot from you,” footage from the event showed. Trump appointed Ramaswarmy to lead DOGE alongside Musk. However, U.S. media reported Monday that he had decided to abandon his role at the department before it began to run for Ohio governor.

It remains an open question what Trump and Milei’s relationship will look like once the US leader has settled in the White House.

In December, Trump announced on his TruthSocial platform that Cuban-born physician and businessman Peter Lamelas would be the next U.S. Ambassador to Argentina. He described Lamelas as “a physician, philanthropist, and an incredible businessman,” who founded MD Now Urgent Care, “the largest Urgent Care healthcare company in Florida.” He also mentioned that Lamelas fled Cuba with his family when he was a child and highlighted that they immigrated “legally” to the U.S., “starting with nothing, and achieving the American Dream.”

The soon-to-be diplomat thanked Trump “for this incredible honor” in a post on X. He said that under the Republican’s leadership, the “U.S.-Argentina relationship will achieve greatness like never before.”

Trump, Argentina, and the IMF

Analysts have suggested he could help Argentina secure further funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Trump’s role was crucial for Argentina to secure the US$44 billion deal signed with the Fund in 2018, during Mauricio Macri’s presidency. Macri congratulated Trump on X Monday, referring to him as “dear friend” and wishing him success. “Hoping the friendship between Argentina and the United States keeps growing,” he wrote on X.

On Sunday, Milei met with IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva to discuss a new deal. “We would like to work expeditiously on a new program and take it to our board,” she told press afterwards, adding that a technical team would come to Argentina this week.

However, all eyes are on Trump’s decisions regarding tariffs in Latin America. The incoming president has promised heavy protectionist measures, while Milei is a radical libertarian who favors economic deregulation.

Ahead of his inauguration, Trump indicated that he would announce a barrage of measures as soon as he was sworn in. Critically for Latino communities, these may include major immigration raids as part of his campaign promise to deport undocumented migrants in the country, and he has promised to start with a large-scale operation in Chicago.

Milei will travel on to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.