Buenos Aires, Argentina — The presentation of a book on neoclassical economic theory may not seem to be liked by the public.
But on Wednesday, in Buenos Aires, crowds of dazzled fans packed a giant auditorium to hear Argentina’s president, the libertarian economist Javier Milei, give a lecture on the importance of freeing capital from state control.
As he walked through a sea of fans jostling for selfies and onto the stage, the screaming crowd rose to its feet. Whistles, stomping and chants of his political motto “Long live freedom, damn it!” filled the theater.
They greeted Milei like a stadium rocker. And in a few moments, he became one.
Grabbing the microphone and singing a cover of “Panic Show” by Argentine hard rock band La Renga, Milei frantically jumped around the stage, sending 10,000 fans into a frenzy.
“I am the lion,” he shouted, shaking his unruly hair to the rhythm. “I am the king of a lost world.”
When the music stopped, he took off his black leather jacket to reveal a business suit underneath and stepped up to the podium, reverting to his usual disheveled academic persona. “I wanted to do this because I really wanted to sing,” he said.
Milei then launched into the presentation of his new book, “Capitalism, socialism and the neoclassical trap”, published on May 1, a contribution to the so-called Austrian School of economics that calls on governments to step forward and stop Let the market decide.
“Market failures do not exist,” he said. “First, check that there is no state intervention.”
Milei had initially planned to promote her book at the Buenos Aires International Book Fair, the country’s largest literary event that began earlier this month. But when left-leaning organizers gave speeches criticizing Milei for defunding cultural institutions, the president canceled the event and instead promoted a new one at the city center’s Luna Park stadium.
On Wednesday night he ironically thanked the organizers of the book fair. “With an attempted boycott, you gave us this party,” she said, as pulsating lights and clouds of artificial smoke enveloped the stage.
It was not the first time Milei played in public. Performances of “Panic Show” with reworked lyrics were an occasional feature of campaign events. Her love of rock music dates back to high school, where she formed a Rolling Stones tribute band and danced like Mick Jagger during recess, according to journalist Juan Luis González’s biography of Milei, “El Loco.”
He maintained his taste for theater as a libertarian expert invited to radio and television stations to criticize Argentina’s economic malaise, attracting attention both for his entertaining antics and for his “anarcho-capitalist” theories.
“This connection he has with people, I have never seen anything like it,” said Liliana Varela, 72, an attendee as she watched Milei greet her followers. “He is creating disruption at the right time we need it. .”
Milei’s latest extravagant episode on Wednesday comes at a delicate time for Argentina, in the midst of its worst economic crisis in two decades, with more than half the population living in poverty and annual inflation soaring towards 300 %.
Milei’s severe austerity measures have so far aggravated the struggles of Argentina’s poor and middle classes. An unprecedented diplomatic crisis is underway with Spain, Argentina’s historic ally and main trading partner, over Milei’s criticism of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his wife.
“Milei doesn’t have to answer to Sánchez,” said Hernán Sánchez, 62, while waiting in line outside the venue. “He is defending his beliefs.”
When the crowd shouted vulgar insults against Sánchez, Milei responded with a smile. “Leave that or Mondino is going to ask me for overtime,” she joked, referring to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Despite the turmoil, Milei’s ratings have remained strong. Her die-hard fans came out in force on Wednesday, lining up for hours in the frigid weather and dancing to keep up the energy when Milei arrived more than an hour late.
“He is the best president in the world,” gushed Matías Muzica, 20, dodging questions about his policies but praising him as Argentina’s answer to Donald Trump. “He can make Argentina great again.”
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
