Javier Milei, the Free Speech Champion Who Takes His Critics to Court

The December 2026 issue of Reason explores Argentine President Javier Milei's accomplishments and what is yet to be done.

President Javier Milei had watched all seven of Argentina's World Cup games from his official residence wearing the same jacket for good luck. But when fortune deserted Lionel Messi and his team's conduct set tongues wagging internationally, Milei saw red.

In a radio interview, the president claimed that the U.S. Democratic Party and the governments of Brazil and Mexico had financed an "anti-Argentina" campaign during the World Cup. Apparently, nothing less than state power would suffice to avenge the defiled honor of the nation. On the evening of July 29, Milei signed an emergency decree—thus bypassing Congress—that empowers the government to deport or ban the entry of foreigners who have "directed hate messages, orally or in writing, or incited violence against the Argentine people as a whole, or against an Argentine citizen, motivated by that person's nationality," plus anyone who has "desecrated national symbols or incited others to do so." The decree said there would be exceptions for "legitimate" political, ideological, and academic criticism, but it provided no guidance for how to distinguish legitimate criticism from "hate messages." … [Subscribe to continue reading]