Argentina’s libertarian president Javier Milei reignited his fierce verbal attacks against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Sunday, referring to him as a ‘bandit’ during a visit to Madrid for an economic forum.
This latest outburst is part of an on-going feud between the two leaders that began last year, when Milei accused Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, of being ‘corrupt’. That remark prompted Spain to withdraw its ambassador from Buenos Aires. ALSO READ: New Spanish ambassador to Argentina appointed, ending spat over Sánchez’s wife.
Milei addressed the audience Sunday night at the Madrid Economic Forum, a gathering of libertarian supporters.
As rock music played in the background and some attendees hurled insults at Sánchez, Milei animatedly criticised the Spanish prime minister.
‘If you want to clobber the local bandit, I’ve got no problem with it,’ Milei said, in reference to Sánchez.
Later in his remarks, which centred on justifying his administration’s economic strategies, Milei responded to supporters who shouted: ‘We need you here!’
‘I will always be on your side when it comes to opposing the socialists,’ he said, adding an expletive directed at Sánchez’s political party, which drew loud applause from the crowd.
As of late Sunday evening, Spanish authorities had not issued a response to Milei’s statements.
His comments came just hours after tens of thousands demonstrated in Madrid, in a rally organised by opposition parties accusing Sánchez’s administration of corruption. ALSO READ: ‘Mafia or Democracy’ – tens of thousands join PP’s 6th anti-government rally in Madrid.
Investigations are currently on-going into Sánchez’s wife, his brother, and a former top aide in separate graft cases. Sánchez has dismissed the inquiries as politically motivated, labelling them a right-wing ‘smear campaign’ designed to undermine his government. ALSO READ: Smear campaigns & ‘mafia practices’ – the alleged corruption saga against Spain’s PM rolls on.
Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has promised to radically reform Argentina’s troubled economy, pushing for major budget cuts and deregulation.
While his administration managed to achieve Argentina’s first budget surplus in over ten years, inflation, rising unemployment and weakening consumer spending have raised concerns among the public.
Milei arrived in Madrid on Saturday after a visit to Rome, where he met with Pope Leo XIV. His stop in Spain is part of a 10-day tour across Europe and Israel.
During his time in Madrid, he also held talks with Santiago Abascal, the head of Spain’s far-right Vox party, but no meeting with Prime Minister Sánchez was scheduled.
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Javier Milei critica a Pedro Sánchez, el “bandido local”, durante el acto de cierre del Madrid Economic Forum: “¡Viva la libertad carajo. Muerte al socialismo!” https://t.co/87k0ANpVrC pic.twitter.com/AKzcJfN4I9
— Europa Press (@europapress) June 8, 2025
🗣️ Milei, vitoreado en Madrid: «Sepan que contra los socialistas de mierda, yo siempre estaré de su lado». pic.twitter.com/OZ7tcpTmMM
— THE OBJECTIVE (@TheObjective_es) June 9, 2025
ALSO READ: Spain withdraws ambassador to Argentina ‘definitively’, as Milei refuses to apologise.
ALSO READ: Spain and Argentina in diplomatic spat.
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