Javier Milei, the hard rocker in Argentina’s highest office, turns his book talk into wild show

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A book presentation about neoclassical economic theory may not sound like a crowd-pleaser. But on Wednesday in Buenos Aires, mobs of star-struck fans packed a giant auditorium to hear their president, the libertarian economist Javier Milei, lecture on the importance of freeing capital from the control of the state. They were greeting Milei like a stadium rocker. Within moments, he became one. Milei had planned to promote his book at the Buenos Aires Book Fair. But when the left-leaning organizers gave speeches calling out Milei for defunding cultural institutions, the president canceled the event and promoted a new one, featuring a musical show, at a massive arena.