In Davos speech, Argentinian President Milei compares Western leadership to Biblical exodus

He described the United States as “the beacon of light that reignites the whole of the West”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Argentinian President Javier Milei used his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday to praise President Donald Trump’s leadership, defend free-market capitalism, and draw a pointed moral comparison between the biblical Exodus story and what he described as the West’s current political trajectory.

Speaking shortly after Trump’s appearance at the forum, Milei delivered a more restrained speech than in previous years but kept his message focused on liberty, deregulation, and alignment with Washington.

He described the United States as “the beacon of light that reignites the whole of the West” and framed Argentina’s direction as part of a broader ideological shift away from socialism.

Milei, who joined Trump’s newly formed Board of Peace intended to oversee postwar Gaza, concluded his remarks with a reference to the weekly Torah portion.

“Parashat Bo describes the moment when Moses confronts Pharaoh, a symbol of the oppressive power of the state,” he said.

He continued the analogy by linking the biblical plagues to modern governance. When Pharaoh “did not free the Hebrew people… the plague of locusts arrived, which signifies famine. Then came the plague of darkness, which signifies the loss of clarity in decision-making. Finally, the plague of the death of the firstborn, which lays bare the fate of a society that denies freedom,” Milei said, adding, “The analogy to what is happening today in the West is strikingly clear.”

Throughout the speech, Milei returned repeatedly to his argument that “free-trade capitalism is the only fair system” and that “regulation kills performance” and “hinders growth.” He cited what he called “13,500 structural reforms” introduced since taking office in December 2023 and praised the work of the Deregulation and State Transformation Ministry and the Human Capital Ministry.

Milei condemned socialism as a system that “always ends badly, horrifically badly,” pointing to Venezuela’s “bloody narco-dictatorship.” He closed by reiterating his rejection of “populist and impoverishing” ideas and declaring, “Machiavelli is dead and it is time to bury him. Long live freedom, damn it.”