Javier Milei Wages War on Argentina’s Government
New YorkerDEC 2024
Clashes Erupt at Retirees' Protest in Argentina, 150 People Arrested
Above: Riot police clash with demonstrators during a protest of pensioners supported by football fans against the government of Pres. Javier Milei in Buenos Aires on March 12, 2025. Image copyright: Emiliano Lasalvia/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
As Argentina's far-right president pushes his austerity agenda, millions have been driven into poverty — and retirees are the ones suffering the most amid public expenditure cuts. Despite triple-digit inflation last year, pensioners received a boost of mere 300 pesos per day — less than 30 cents. This situation is unsustainable.
Right narrative
Milei is leading an economic miracle in Argentina, one that has driven the country out of a hyperinflation spiral and achieved the first budget surplus in more than a decade. Challenges do persist, though, including in further increasing the purchasing power of the people, but violent protests are just another stunt by the opposition.