JAVIER MILEI AND MANAGERIAL POPULISM IN ARGENTINA: “THE SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR AS A SOCIAL BENEFACTOR”

Abstract

Introduction: Javier Milei, leader of La Libertad Avanza (LLA), has become the first president in history to define himself as a liberal libertarian. Mieli’s leadership is marked by his media projection as a political outsider capable of creating an antagonistic divide between the virtuous people and the corrupt establishment. This study aims to identify and analyze the characteristics of the phenomenon known as managerial populism in the Argentine president, Javier Milei, based on three significant interventions: 1)his first speech as President of Argentina on December 10, 2023; 2) the speech delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 17, 2024; and 3) the address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington on February 25, 2024. Methodology: A qualitative approach will be undertaken using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). This methodology Will allow us to move beyond a formalistic study of language, connecting our discourse analysis with the growing phenomenon of managerial populism. Results: At this point, we will demonstrate the three pillars upon which Milei’s managerial populism rests: a) the construction of a virtuous people in opposition to the parasitic establishment; b) the notion that social justice is neither just nor social; and c) the defense of free-market capitalism, identifying entrepreneurs as social benefactors. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that Milei’s political objective is the construction of a popular ideology based on entrepreneurial elements, positioning the economic entrepreneur as a social benefactor.