WASHINGTON – Argentina’s chainsaw-wielding, self-proclaimed “anarcho-capitalist” president, Javier Milei, who says he takes most of his political advice from his dogs, became the first world leader to confirm on Friday that he would attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington on January 20, according to one of his aides.
Milei, 53, a former right-wing economist and television pundit whose combative style and embrace of conspiracy theories has drawn comparisons to Trump, previously indicated he was likely to attend the high-profile event. He was the first foreign leader to visit the president-elect at Mar-A-Lago after the November election.
Trump’s top British political ally, Nigel Farage, will also attend the inauguration, he recently confirmed to USA TODAY. Farage, the leader of the Reform U.K. political party, will jet into Washington despite his very public spat in recent weeks with Elon Musk, a tech billionaire who has become tightly embedded in Trump’s entourage.
Milei’s attendance is historically significant. It breaks with an American political tradition that has kept foreign heads of state away from participating in the American transfer of power. The U.S. Department of State says that no serving, foreign leader has ever attended a U.S. presidential inauguration.
Trump has invited several sitting heads of state and government, and at least one former leader, to attend his swearing-in ceremony.
The soon-to-be president has offered tickets to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was recently indicted for allegedly launching a Jan. 6-style coup attempt after losing his 2022 bid for reelection.
Meloni could not be reached for comment. A spokesperson for Orban did not respond to multiple inquiries. Zelenskyy said this week that he expects to meet with Trump after the inauguration. A representative for the Salvadoran government could not immediately be reached.
China’s foreign ministry announced Friday that it would send Vice President Han Zheng in Xi’s place.
Trump said in a social media post later on Friday that he spoke to Xi on the phone. “It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects,” Trump said.
Milei has been Argentina’s leader since December 2023. He is credited with inspiring Trump to establish the Department of Government Efficiency, a cost-cutting organization that will be led by Tesla CEO and X owner Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. DOGE is a nod to Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency, Dogecoin.
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Musk criticized Farage after they diverged over the release of far-right British agitator Tommy Robinson, who is serving jail time in Britain for repeatedly making libelous remarks about a schoolboy from Syria. Musk said Robinson should be set free.
Farage is regarded as the architect of Brexit, Britain’s exit from the European Union. He is also a longstanding Trump ally who has backed all his political campaigns. The party Farage leads in Britain, polls show, is now within touching distance of being the country’s most popular, behind Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s ruling Labour Party.
