President Javier Milei lashed out at the 21 governors who snubbed his invitation to an Independence Day event in Tucumán, accusing them of wanting to “destroy the national government.” 

He did so hours after canceling his trip to Tucumán, saying he was advised not to fly due to heavy fog in Buenos Aires, but also due to the lack of turnout, coupled with a lack of support in Congress. “Their intention is to destroy everything; they don’t care about the Argentine people,” he asserted on Wednesday.

“The governors’ tax revenue has been growing between 7% and 8% in real terms,” he told radio station El Observador, referring to the provinces’ tax share. “They started from a balanced situation and are receiving a lot of resources. If they started from a balanced situation, it’s growing 8% in real terms. They want to destroy the national government.” When asked if he meant all of them, he said: “Yes, obviously, of course.”

Milei said that this “proves that what was done in recent years” in terms of distribution of federal resources to the provinces “was completely wrong” and “a business for those from the ‘state party’, regardless of their political affiliation.”

“They [the governors] don’t care whether Argentines are going to be better or worse off. They care about power and their own situation,” Milei added. “This model proves that they are part of the problem, not the solution.” 

You may also be interested in: Saved by the fog: Milei suspends trip to Tucumán after 21 governors snub event

Referring to the canceled trip, he stated that his plan was “to hold the historic ceremony at the Casa de Tucumán,” but due to the weather conditions in the capital, the recommendation was “not to travel.”  He also stated that “conditions for returning” to Buenos Aires were not guaranteed.

“Our plan was to hold the historic ceremony at the Historical House of Tucumán, and that plan remained in place until 5:00 p.m. I was in Olivos and couldn’t see anything; it was like being in a cloud, and the situation was complex,” Milei said. “Many flights were canceled, and the recommendation was not to travel. It was dangerous. The most complex thing was that conditions for returning were not guaranteed,” the president stated.

Milei said he “couldn’t care less about the speculation” about why he canceled the event and said that they considered carrying it out “until the last minute.” He also said stepping on a plane under such weather conditions would have been “reckless” and put his life “at risk.”