Staff Reporter
President Donald Trump announced on Monday evening that he is open to the possibility of signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Argentina’s President Javier Milei.
“I consider anything. And Argentina — I think he’s [Milei] great, by the way — I think he’s a great leader. He’s doing a fantastic job. He brought it back [Argentina] from oblivion. Yeah, we’ll look at things,” Trump remarked in response to a question from a reporter at Argentina’s La Nación newspaper.
Milei has been a vocal advocate for a free trade deal with the United States since Trump’s election in November.
Shortly after the U.S. presidential elections in 2024, Milei expressed that a trade agreement with the U.S. was “exactly” what he was seeking. In 2024, the United States ranked as the third-largest destination for Argentine exports and the fourth-largest source of imports for Argentina.
To advance a potential free trade deal, Milei has noted that Argentina would need to first withdraw from Mercosur, a regional trade bloc established in the 1990s, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, along with several associated states.
Mercosur’s regulations prevent its member countries from independently pursuing free trade agreements with other nations. Since 1999, the bloc has been engaged in intermittent negotiations with the European Union to establish a trade deal.
Currently holding Mercosur’s rotating chairmanship, President Javier Milei has been a vocal critic of the trade bloc throughout his career as both a television personality and a politician. He often refers to it as a “bad idea” and an “imperfect customs union.”
“Mercosur, which was intended to strengthen our trade ties, has become a prison that hinders member countries from leveraging their comparative advantages and export potential,” Milei stated. He emphasized his commitment to seeking free trade agreements for Argentina with the United States and other nations.
During a speech at the opening of the ordinary session of the Argentine Congress on Saturday, Milei reiterated his willingness to withdraw Argentina from Mercosur.
He claimed that the bloc primarily benefits Brazilian industrialists and reiterated his goal of signing a free trade deal with the United States.
“The first step on this path is the historic opportunity we have to enter into a trade agreement with the United States—an opportunity we missed 20 years ago, squandering the last major growth boom the planet experienced,” Milei said.
“To seize this historic opportunity again, we must be ready to be flexible, or even leave Mercosur if necessary. Since its inception, Mercosur has only enriched large Brazilian industrialists while impoverishing Argentines,” he continued.
