Buenos Aires Herald 
International political and business leaders have offered mixed reactions to Milei’s victory in Argentina’s 2023 presidential elections.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio “Lula” Da Silva took to X (formerly Twitter) to acknowledge the elections, but declined to congratulate the president-elect — or even mention him.
“Democracy is the voice of the people, and must always be respected,” Lula wrote. “My congratulations to the Argentine institutions for conducting the electoral process and the Argentine people that took part in election day in an orderly and pacific fashion.
“I wish good luck and success to the new government,” he continued.
Lula added that Brazil would always be ready to work with its “Argentine brothers.”
Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou was more forthcoming, posting “A greeting to president-elect Javier Milei. We have much to work on together and to improve our bilateral relations.”
Former United States President Donald Trump was quick to respond, posting “MAKE ARGENTINA GREAT AGAIN!” on TruthSocial, the social network he founded after being kicked off Twitter, as it was known at the time, following the January 6 riots. He quoted a post showing Milei with the Gadsden flag of a snake and the text “Don’t tread on me,” a banner of the U.S. far right.
U.S. Ambassador to Argentina, Marc Stanley, congratulated Milei explicitly on his victory in Sunday’s run-off and called on the libertarian victor to prioritize human rights and democracy.
“Congratulations, Javier Milei, and to the Argentine people!” Stanley posted on X (formerly Twitter). “We look forward to working together on shared priorities that benefit the people of both countries, including protecting human rights and democracy, addressing climate change, improving the investment climate, and investing in the middle class.”
Although he did not explicitly take the president-elect to task, Stanley made mention of several topics on which Milei has voiced controversial opinions. During a presidential debate, he denied the number of victims disappeared by Argentina’s last civic-military dictatorship, and his running-mate is notorious for denying the crimes committed by the junta. Milei has also called climate change a “socialist lie.”
In a trilingual tweet, IDB president Ilan Goldfajn also congratulated Milei on the results.
“Congratulations Javier Milei, President-elect of Argentina,” posted Goldfajn. “At the IDB, we are ready to continue our collaboration with the country and promote sustainable and inclusive economic development for the benefit of its citizens.”
Earlier in the evening, business magnate Elon Musk also welcomed the electoral outcome, even if he didn’t mention Milei by name. “Prosperity is ahead for Argentina,” he wrote in response to a post about the Argentine elections.
