Milei floods social media with criticism of Lula amid diplomatic crisis

Argentine President Javier Milei has extensively used his X (formerly Twitter) profile to voice strong criticisms against Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Following his recent remarks calling Lula a "thief," "inmate," and "socialist trash" during an event in São Paulo, Milei shared numerous posts targeting the Brazilian leader. Many of these messages framed the involvement of PT-affiliated publicists in bolstering Sergio Massa's campaign against Milei in 2023 as an intervention.

Milei, without presenting evidence, accused Lula of funding his 2023 electoral campaign. A financial analyst and ally of Milei, Dario Epstein, stated that Lula supported the 2023 campaign against Milei and later labeled him an "archaic nationalist," including him among "fascist leaders" alongside Jair Bolsonaro. Epstein questioned the indignation of Argentinian progressives over Milei's statements in Brazil.

Throughout 2023, Milei frequently referred to Lula as a communist and corrupt, leading to a distancing between the two leaders. In June 2024, Lula suggested Milei should apologize, to which the Argentine president responded that there were more important matters than the "inflated ego of some little leftist."

Supporters of Milei also recalled Lula's visit to his ally, former President Cristina Kirchner, who was under house arrest in July of the previous year. Milei's own allies, like deputy Lilia Lemoine, pointed out that Lula, a former inmate himself, visited a former cellmate who was also imprisoned. Lemoine also criticized Brazil's actions against Agostina Páez, who was arrested after imitating a monkey during an altercation in Rio de Janeiro, contrasting it with Lula's visit to Kirchner.

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Sejamos honestos: Lula apoiou a campanha de 2023 contra Milei. Em 2024, ele o rotulou de nacionalista arcaico e o incluiu na lista de líderes fascistas ao lado de Jair Bolsonaro. (...) E agora os brilhantes progressistas argentinos estão arrancando os cabelos por causa do que Javier Milei disse no Brasil?