The Brazilian Press and Its Ongoing Misunderstanding of Milei

The recent midterm elections in Argentina produced an undeniably positive result for Javier Milei. His government, marked by fiscal austerity and structural reforms, has been showing concrete signs of economic recovery. Yet the Brazilian press remains, for the most part, unable to understand the Milei phenomenon or, more precisely, the context that sustains it.

A large portion of Brazil’s media insists on analyzing him through ideological lenses, disregarding the essence of his program: the defense of a strong currency and the rejection of chronic government overspending. Argentina, historically corroded by inflation and the loss of monetary credibility, is beginning to experience a paradigm shift, something many journalists seem either unable or unwilling to see.

The greatest affliction of any nation is to have a weak currency. It erodes purchasing power, destroys savings, and undermines long-term investment. Milei, inspired by the Austrian tradition of Ludwig von Mises, understands that prosperity does not arise from accounting illusions but from solid foundations: spending control, predictability, and fiscal responsibility. This view is almost heretical to a segment of the Brazilian press still clinging to the belief that the State can “stimulate” the economy through deficits and money printing.

The result is a media landscape where many outlets claim to be surprised by Milei’s political success, when in reality, it reflects a population tired of easy promises and policies that lead only to impoverishment. The reluctance to acknowledge Argentina’s economic progress is not accidental; it stems from the persistence of partisan colors and ideological narratives that blind much of Brazilian journalism to reality.

Meanwhile, the Milei government continues to consolidate a rare structural transformation in Latin America, and it does so with the courage of one who understands that there is no real growth without discipline. Perhaps that is precisely what bothers so many: the practical demonstration that a liberal approach, when applied consistently, can restore a country’s economic dignity.

Efficiency and Austerity: The Contrast Between Milei and the Brazilian Model

While Javier Milei advances in rebuilding Argentina’s economy with a clear program of state efficiency and tax reduction, Brazil moves in the opposite direction, expanding public spending and, inevitably, paving the way for new tax burdens on those who produce.

Milei understands that an overgrown state is a direct enemy of prosperity. His priority has been to cut bureaucratic expenses, eliminate unproductive structures, and reorganize public finances so that taxpayers’ money regains its value. Instead of resorting to the old populist formula of “stimulating the economy” through higher deficits and money printing, the Argentine government bets on administrative streamlining and trust in the private sector as the true engines of growth. The logic is simple but revolutionary for Latin America: there is no economic freedom with a voracious and inefficient State.

The contrast with Brazil is striking. Here, the public machine keeps expanding, propped up by rhetoric that promises social justice but delivers the opposite: higher living costs, capital flight, and discouragement among entrepreneurs. The Brazilian government continues to prioritize easy spending, expanding ministries, multiplying positions, and creating new permanent expenditure programs, while the bill is systematically passed on to the population in the form of more taxes, fees, and contributions.

Milei, on the other hand, understands that fiscal balance is not an ideological choice but a moral obligation. A State that lives off the labor of its people is doomed to mediocrity. Reducing taxes and simplifying bureaucracy is not “savage neoliberalism,” as some sectors caricature it, it is an act of respect toward the citizen and the nation’s productivity.

While Argentina strives to rediscover the path of responsibility, Brazil persists in confusing growth with public spending. The difference between the two projects is clear: Milei bets on the creation of real wealth, while Brazil, unfortunately, continues betting on accounting illusions that always end up placing a heavier burden on the taxpayer.