Javier Milei’s life: career, family and more
In times of elections, conversations about politics tend to be a daily occurrence, whether in the family, academic or work environment. In the context of Argentina’s current situation, there is one name that does not go unnoticed: Javier Milei, the presidential pre-candidate of La Libertad Avanza.
The economist burst onto the media scene with his “freedom tour” and stood out largely for his actions outside politics: his performance as a soccer player and his time in music with his tribute band to The Rolling Stones are some examples of this.
Family Dynamics and Influences
The story began somewhat difficult for this former goalkeeper of the Argentine soccer club Chacarita Juniors, who was a star in 1989. Born in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo on October 22, 1970, Milei’s childhood was marked by several controversial family moments, which he himself acknowledged in a program on the Argentinean TV channel Telefé.
Although his relationship with his parents was not good, Milei found in his sister his support and support. The economist recognizes that Karina Milei is the person who knows him best and “the great architect” of his political events. And he has said to different media that if he becomes president, she would play the role of first lady.
Journalist Juan Luis González is one of the researchers of the unauthorized biography of the economist, entitled “El Loco”. In an interview with CNN en Español, he said that Javier Milei’s time at the Cardenal Copello School in Villa Devoto was marked by bullying during most of that stage.
For the preparation of his book, the author assures that he talked to the schoolmates of the presidential pre-candidate and they all agreed on the memory of a withdrawn, quiet boy, who liked to dance in the best Mick Jagger style and was the object of constant teasing. His passion for The Rolling Stones has remained intact since he was a teenager. Milei recently said he has seen the British group live 14 times, and even had a tribute band called Everest.
Milei lives today with five English mastiff dogs, weighing around 100 kilos each, and he recognizes in these canines his real family. In this regard, a few years ago, the current National Deputy for La Libertad Avanza had to face a tough scenario: it was 2017 and he was starting to make noise in the media. In the middle of that radio and television turbulence, he received a very hard blow. As González tells in the book, Conan, the economist’s dog, had a degenerative disease and had to prepare for the worst news.
Soccer Passion and Shifting Allegiances
The 80s were at their peak. Democracy had returned and a young Milei, 18 years old, was trying out as a goalkeeper in the youth team of the Argentine soccer club Chacarita Juniors to become definitively “El Loco”, according to his former teammates. “I’m not a fan of Chacarita, but I became part of the professional team in 1989,” confessed the economist in an interview with FM Urbana Play radio station in Buenos Aires.
And if it is about soccer, another fact appears: he went from having a box and a star in the Museo de la Pasión Boquense to wanting River to win the final of the 2018 Copa Libertadores. “I am a very particular Boca fan because I actually stopped being one. I stopped going to the stadium when Palermo retired, when Angelici brought him in the last time to Riquelme, I argued that it was going to be a failure and that’s why I stopped being a Boca fan,” recalled the deputy on the radio station.
Political Ascent and Controversial Stances
From 2018, Milei’s rise in the main Argentine media begins, with the dissemination of his “libertarian liberal” discourse, as he usually calls it. His appearances on local radio and television raised controversy, whether among his economist peers, journalists or presenters.
The big leap in his political career came in 2020, when he announced his candidacy for the presidency for the 2023 elections. This step paved the way so that, the following year, his party, La Libertad Avanza, won two seats in the Chamber of Deputies, which are held by him and his vice-presidential pre-candidate, Victoria Villarruel.
Javier Milei is now a right-wing pre-candidate for the presidency of Argentina. Within his political space La Libertad Avanza, his main campaign proposals are the dollarization of the Argentine economy in stages, the reduction of state expenditures and the privatization of public companies. In the labor field, he proposes the end of severance payments to reduce labor costs, but two of the most controversial proposals are found in the security field: the deregulation of the possession of weapons and the militarization of prisons.
With his eccentric and provocative opinions, Milei ignites the temperature of the whole political arc. The polls will speak on Sunday, August 13 in the open, simultaneous and mandatory primary elections (PASO), where his candidacy for the general elections is not at risk, since he is the only pre-candidate of his party. Should he be elected in the October 22 election, the economist will have the opportunity as president to implement his 35-year transformation proposal, a trademark of his campaign.