(Bloomberg) -- Argentine President Javier Milei is expected to attend US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, according to Milei’s office.
Milei, a Trump admirer, was at a post-election victory party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in November and a spokesperson said Saturday he’ll also attend the inauguration. Trump’s transition team didn’t comment on whether Milei will be a guest at the Jan. 20 ceremony in Washington.
CBS News reported this week that Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend his inauguration, which would be a highly unusual move and unlikely to happen.
No foreign head of state has attended a US presidential inauguration in at least a century, according to State Department records going back to 1874. The event is typically witnessed by ambassadors, US lawmakers and the general public.
Milei, in office for a year, has pledged to lift Argentina’s capital and currency controls in 2025, a policy change that has been suggested by Trump adviser Arthur Laffer. Milei has said his administration intends to negotiate a free trade agreement with the US once Trump takes office.
Milei’s team also is hopeful that Trump’s return paves the way for an International Monetary Fund deal that would renew and possibly expand Argentina’s $44 billion program with the IMF.
--With assistance from Manuela Tobias and Akayla Gardner.
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