Don't Cry For Argentina

Several months ago, Ian Bremmer, the host of PBS's "GZero World," a political talk show, hosted Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, to discuss his radical economic policies that were meant to give a shock to the system.  Milei had every reason to feel good about himself, as when Bremmer talked to him via satellite, the Argentine economy was improving tremendously and his policies of making deep cuts in government services - hence his offering of a chain saw to Elon Musk at the 2025 National Conservative Political Action Conference  - deregulation, and a minarchical approach to business seemed to be working.

The economic recovery from 200 percent inflation when Milei took office in 2023 was short-lived, though, and now the Argentine economy is an freefall.  Trump ans Scott Bessent, his Treasury Secretary, pledged $20 billion to bail out Argentina.  They have since doubled that pledge with private donations from many of America's plutocrats.  And I'm sure Trump would be doing this even if Bessent didn't hve friends with financial interest in Argentina.

Argentina is getting this $40 billion bailout even as Milei has come upon a little geopolitical luck.  Thanks to Trump's tariff war with China, Argentina has inked a deal with the Chinese to sell them soybeans - a commodity that American farmers had a monopoly over with the Chinese before Trump intervened.  This adds insult to injury, as the government remains shut down and the expired Affordable Care Act subsidies are not reinstated, and taxpayer money is being sent to Argentina - and not to Americans who need help, especially American soybean farmers who just lost their livelihoods to Argentine soybean farmers.  

Maybe American soybean farmers - many if not most of whom voted for Trump - should take Michael Dukakis's 37-year-old advice and plant Belgian endives.

One U.S. House member has become an ardent critic of Trump's Argentina policy, decrying the fact that billions of dollars are being funneled all the way down to Tierra del Fuego and not being spent to aid Americans with medical insurance made possible by the Affordable Care Act.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez?  Pramila Jayapal?  Jim McGovern?  My own congresswoman,  New Jersey's Mikie Sherrill, who needs every issue she can to fend off a tough gubernatorial election opponent like Jack Ciattarelli (and so far seems to be holding him off enough to win the governorship of New Jersey)? No - Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Marjorie . . . Taylor . . . Greene.

Dude, when Trump has lost Marjorie Taylor Greene, he's lost MAGA, which may as well now stand for "Make Argentina Great Again."

And if Trump is forced to go into exile as a result of today's No Kings protests and any No Kings protests to come in 2026, I'm sure he will be welcome in Buenos Aires - like other Nazi war criminals.

I haven't watched Ian Bremmer's PBS show since Trump returned to power.  I haven't really felt like watching it.  I probably won't start watching it again.  Trump may hve lost Marjorie Taylor Greene, but Bremmer, having hosted and toasted Javier Milei, has lost his credibility.