Milei courts US trade deal at CPAC on heels of crypto scandal

Argentine President Javier Milei isn’t wasting any time trying to cozy up to the U.S. on trade—he took his case straight to a conservative crowd just outside Washington, making it crystal clear that he wants Argentina at the front of the line for a free trade agreement.

According to Bloomberg , Milei spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), and played to the audience by referencing President Donald Trump’s stance on reciprocal tariffs. The crowd ate it up. But there’s a catch: Argentina’s membership in Mercosur, the South American trade bloc, is putting a damper on his ambitions.

“I want to take this chance to announce that Argentina wants to be the first country in the world to join this reciprocal accord that the Trump administration proposed on trade matters,” Milei said. “If we were not restricted by Mercosur, Argentina would already be working on a mutually beneficial free trade deal with the United States.”

Milei, 54, has made no secret of his admiration for Trump, 78.

During his speech, Milei doubled down on his commitment to slashing government bureaucracy, just as Trump and Elon Musk have done through the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency.

Trump, in return, gave Milei a shoutout in his own speech later that day, before the two met for a sit-down that might have offered the Argentine leader a brief break from domestic headaches.

What caused those headaches?

The Libra controversy recently landed Milei in hot water. Federal prosecutor Eduardo Taiano is reportedly sniffing around Milei’s recent endorsement of the meme coin on social media. Per La Nación, an investigation request has been filed.

Libra fell 90% in value after Milei hyped it up. Similarly, Trump’s meme coin, Official Trump ( TRUMP ), is currently down over 78% from its all-time high .

But Milei didn’t just spend his Washington trip talking trade and crypto drama—he also squeezed in meetings with Musk and International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva. With Georgieva, the focus was on Argentina’s ongoing IMF debt deal, a crucial piece of his economic puzzle.

Whether Milei gets his wish for a U.S.-Argentina trade pact remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: he’s putting himself in the spotlight, whether on stage, online, or across the negotiating table.