Milei Accuses US Democrats, Brazil and Mexico of Funding Anti-Argentina Campaign After 2m-Post Furor
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jul 28
Milei Accuses US Democrats, Brazil and Mexico of Funding Anti-Argentina Campaign After 2m-Post Furor
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 28
Summary
Sunday remarks on local radio saw Javier Milei allege that US Democrats and the governments of Brazil and Mexico financed an “anti-Argentina campaign” tied to World Cup criticism of Argentina’s team and fans.
More than 2 million social-media posts were later analyzed by digital anthropologist Mercedes Máspero, who found repeated patterns but said it was still a “tough call” to label the backlash a coordinated operation.
Brazil had a significant presence in online racism-related discussion, researcher Natalia Aruguete said, but she found no public evidence backing Milei’s claim of Brazilian state involvement in a large-scale campaign.
Saturday in Brazil, Milei had already escalated the dispute by calling President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a “thief” and “prisoner” at Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign launch, drawing a strong reaction from Brasília.
Analysts say Milei is turning a hostile but diffuse transnational debate into a culture-war fight that shifts attention from rising unemployment, corruption scandals and his lowest approval ratings since taking office.