By EFE
Jun 18, 2024, 11:55 PM EDT
The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, called the head of the Spanish Executive, Pedro Sánchez, a “coward” this Tuesday in a television interview, saying that in terms of freedom of expression he is applying the same model as Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
“The coward (in reference to Pedro Sánchez) sent all his ministers to insult me. He started with the Transport guy and then, when I didn’t respond, he very cowardly sent the women to attack me, and then branded me as a misogynist. And since I didn’t answer, he already joined in,” he declared in an interview with the Todo Noticias channel.
The Minister of Transport of Spain, Óscar Puente, made a controversial statement on May 3 during a PSOE event, in which he accused the Argentine president of “ingesting substances.” This comment generated a strong reaction from the Argentine Government, which issued a statement of repudiation, describing the statements as “slander and insults.”
Puente later acknowledged that his words were a mistake and that he did not appreciate the impact they would have. He stated that, if he had known, he would not have said them and described the context as “relaxed.”
“He is advancing freedom of expression, it is clear that it is the Maduro model that he is applying,” Milei said today in reference to the head of the Spanish Executive. “What would happen if I did that here? What would the whole prog band say? ”She added.
On Monday, the Argentine head of state published several messages of support on social networks for the press collaborator of the Spanish far-right political group Se Acabó la Fiesta Vito Quiles, immersed in a controversy with the Spanish minister Óscar Puente, whom the communicator accuses of having used an official vehicle to attend a concert by the singer Taylor Swift.
The relationship between Javier Milei and the president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, as well as that of their respective cabinets, is going through a conflictive period, including the withdrawal by the Spanish authorities of their ambassador to Argentina, María Jesús Alonso.
The moment of greatest tension took place when Milei accused Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, of being “corrupt”, and called the head of the Spanish Government a “coward”, during the participation of the president of Argentina in an event in Madrid of the party of far-right Vox.
Next Thursday, Milei will leave again on a private trip to Spain to receive the next day an award from the Juan de Mariana Institute, a study center founded in 2005 whose name pays tribute to Juan de Mariana, a well-known 16th century Spanish theologian and economist. for his ideas on economics and individual freedom.
The spokesperson for the Spanish Government, Pilar Alegría, warned Milei that if he plans to visit Spain this week and make statements he must “respect” the Spanish people and their institutions.
Keep reading:
• Javier Milei is the highest-rated president in South America; He is followed by Daniel Noboa and Lula da Silva
• Javier Milei and Pedro Sánchez coincide for the first time since the diplomatic crisis: what happened?
• Milei calls Sánchez’s wife “corrupt” and the Spanish government demands a public apology