In a runoff presidential election, Argentina has ditched socialism for anarcho-capitalist libertarian Javier Milei — and Glenn is shocked. While the media has done everything it can to negatively tie Milei to Donald Trump, Glenn explains why he doesn't believe they're that comparable. Glenn breaks down what Milei has promised to do, how big of a change that would be for Argentina and the world, and whether he can even get it done. Plus, Glenn explains the biggest takeaway from this election: "[Voters are] moving away — HARD — from the Left."
TranscriptBelow is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: So Argentina had their runoff election. And the news is stunning. Javier Milei, is that how you say his name? He was elected as Argentina's next president. He is a Libertarian. He is -- the exact opposite of really anything. Any kind of politician, that we have seen here, that is even close, to being president of the United States.
Even Donald Trump. Donald Trump still plays within, hmm. Some of the norms.
He is often compared. This guy, in Argentina, is often compared to Donald Trump.
But I don't think they're comparable.
STU: I think just because he's outspoken. That seems to be the largest similarity there.
Right? He's super outspoken.
But he described himself as an anarchocapitalist, which is not how Donald Trump would describe himself at all.
GLENN: No. Not at all.
He is going to get rid of -- this is what he says he is going to do.
Get rid of the peso. Because it's falling.
And he will put the dollar -- good luck with that one.
He's also getting rid of their Federal Reserve Bank.
He's getting rid of hundreds of programs. He is just going to cut this government to the bone.
STU: You have seen the video of him, walking in front of the white board?
He's just pulling off the stickers of all the agencies.
The Department of Families. And Health, gone!
Like every single one. He's pulling off, and throwing it away. Now, look, is he going to do those things?
I hope so. Probably a lot of those agencies are incredibly pointless. Just like they are here.
Now, not knowing the full story of the structure of the Argentinian government.
I'm going a little bit on -- I'm -- guesswork there.
GLENN: I will --
STU: Every government is like that. Especially in South America.
GLENN: I will bet you, that Art Laffer would like this guy. We should call Art Laffer. Because he knows Argentina really well. He did this back in the '80s. Argentina always, you know, succeeds, becomes wealthy, and then goes to socialism, and destroys itself.
STU: Yeah.
GLENN: And then goes back to its roots. And then it destroys itself.
So he did that in the '80s. He restored it in the 1980s. They're back.
STU: Look, the promise is high here. I just -- I do hesitate. There's a lot of ifs that could happen here. Right? I don't know everything about this guy.
Who knows what policy he actually implements, when he's in office? What crazy thing we don't know about him.
Who knows?
At some level, he's still a South American politician.
I will hold out hope. The things he said are really good, really positive.
If he actually does them. If they work, it could be an incredible thing.
You know, it might inspire countries all in the region. And all over the world, to replicate that process. So there's really high hopes for someone who will come out and do this stuff.
GLENN: You know what is interesting.
How cautious people are, on saying, I like this guy.
I don't know. I don't know enough about him. I like what he says so far about of what I've heard.
STU: What I've heard is --
GLENN: But I don't know. Same thing with Geert Wilders. Geert Wilders could become the next Prime Minister, the next Dutch Prime Minister.
Now, he just won a massive election. He didn't win enough seats to become Prime Minister. But if he cobbles together a few more seats, he may become prime minister. This is a guy who has been on this show. And we were told by everybody, don't have him.
STU: He's too bad. He's dangerous. He's said bad things.
GLENN: We thought he was delightful, at least in the interview. He was wonderful.
STU: Seemed fine in the interview.
GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.
So -- but we always have to say, well, but I'm not sure.
But do you ever hear anybody backpedaling on Justin Trudeau?
STU: No. No. They never do.
GLENN: I mean, the things that that guy has done.
And nobody ever says, well, I don't agree with everything.
STU: Right.
GLENN: He's not a bad. It's not a bad thing.
STU: I don't know. I hold myself to a higher standard, than the left holds themselves.
GLENN: Yes, so do I.
STU: So I hope we would have higher standards than them.
GLENN: Yeah, I don't have a problem with it.
STU: Yeah.
GLENN: I just -- I do have a problem with, it doesn't matter what you do.
STU: No.
GLENN: On the left.
STU: No. It doesn't matter.
GLENN: You turn into a Castro or a Stalin. It doesn't matter.
STU: Apparently, you can kidnap and murder thousands of people. And you will still get cheered on by these people on the left.
GLENN: Yeah.
STU: And, you know, the situation is, you know, with -- I don't know.
As a conservative, like, we talk about principle a lot.
I do think it's important. And I much -- I'm happy to criticize someone who supposedly is on the right, if they're wrong.
GLENN: Right.
STU: I just don't want to stand by them, just because they -- they align themselves with my general political outlook. But is that not how the left operates. And, you know, you could make the argument, that politically, in a pragmatic, political sense, where the ends justify the means, that's the right approach.
I just -- that's not how I look at the world.
I don't think that's how you look at the world. And I don't think that's how most conservatives look at the world. Maybe to our detriment, when it comes to winning or losing sometimes.
But that's okay.
GLENN: So there's two people now, that the press says, out of control. These guys are worse than Hitler.
Okay?
Guy in Argentina and Geert Wilders, they may end up being that. I don't think so, but they might. I don't know. It's not my country. So I don't follow them as closely. However, I might be for them. I hate to say that. Because I don't know enough about them. But what I see, I like. However, they might go bad.
STU: Uh-huh.
GLENN: But here's what you should take away from all of this movement, politically. Because it's happening in Europe, and it's happening in South America. It is moving away, hard from the left.
And going right, in the case of Argentina, small government right.
I mean, very small.
Libertarian right.
And everybody is losing their minds. A Libertarian government is not powerful enough, to make you do anything.
That's the good thing about small government.
It can never really harm you.
It's not spying on you.
Because it's not big enough.
These guys, if they work, this is going to be a huge move, for the world. Back to more freedom.
And common sense.
Geert Wilders is one.
You know, why?
Because of immigration. The Dutch are tired of having people just rape their daughters.
Kill on the street. And no ramification.
No ramification.
You don't have to -- the -- you know, when you go over to Sweden. I go spend any time in the Norwegian countries.
You will see how accepting they are.
How loving they are.
But it is a very, very non-diverse population.
Until recently.
And now, the non-diverse population, coming up from the Middle East, doesn't want to be Swedish.
They don't want to be Dutch. They don't care. They want the free stuff. But they'll have their own no-go zones.
They will have their own communities.
And it's not a part of that culture.
Everybody has turned a blind eye. You're now seeing the immigration be a problem all through Europe. You're going to see it as a problem here in America. Soon. I mean, I can't believe how much has changed in -- on our border.
And relatively nobody is talking about it.
That's one of the biggest changes in my lifetime. And nobody is really talking about it. When that poses a problem.
When we start to have terror attacks, or whatever, we start to collapse our economy.
Because we're -- we're overrun with this -- in this lifeboat called America.
There are too many people trying to get in the boat. Then you really have problems.
So I'm -- I'm glad to see that before things catch completely on fire over in Europe. And in South America. There's a couple of places that may turn things around.
STU: Yeah. And I think too, this idea that maybe turning -- just leaning -- err on the side of liberty.
That's what's encouraging about the guy in Argentina, Milei for me.
Is that, look, we all knew that Ronald Reagan wanted to get rid of the Department of Education. He wasn't able to do it.
GLENN: And the Fed.
STU: Will this guy be able to get rid of all these agencies he pulled off as stickers off the white board? It's going to be really hard. I will assume there are a million different people that are inside the government, and have been inside the government structure forever.
That will do everything they can to stop him at every turn. But just the fact that he's attempting to do these things. And pushing in that general direction. It's hard to see how they could make the country worse.
You know, at the very least, they will take less of your money.
GLENN: I will tell you this, it is like never before, you are going to be assassinated, politically.
Your reputation. Your life, everything. Will be assassinated by the press. And by the left.
And if you get these people in, who are serious about taking apart the fed.
And some of these things that are absolute institutions, that are deep.
You start having a president take on the intelligence community here in America, you may be looking at worse than a political assassination.
That's really dangerous to do.
And I never thought I would feel that way in America.
But I certainly was. Don't you?
STU: It is. Yeah.
I mean, it is --
GLENN: I mean, look what they did to Donald Trump.
And look what you -- what I think they're willing to do to Donald Trump.
Somebody steps up and is effective at taking on the Deep State. God help them.
God help them.
STU: There's a lot. Yeah. You're standing up against people who have entrenched interest in something that you don't want.
And you're trying to destroy --
GLENN: And they have all kinds of power.
STU: All sorts of power.
One of the first things we talked about with Donald Trump.
And a critical way at some level.
Was to say, hey. You better be sure, if you're going to go critique our -- our -- you know, critique is not the right word for what Donald Trump was doing. But go after the intelligence agencies.
Because they're not going to sit back, and just let that go on. You better be sure.
Now, he did it anyway.
And he had to deal with the effects of it.
I mean, it's a risky strategy. At times, it feels like, you know what, it really needs to be done.
And I'm glad he has done it.
But he dealt with lots of personal discomfort.
And continues to, I believe, those attacks at the beginning. And more as he went on.
They're not just going to give up their power. That's not what happens.
GLENN: I know. I wish we just cobbled together a coalition.
I really do.
I -- Donald Trump is so focused now.
Has to be.
So focused on what's going on in his life, I wish we would put a coalition together, where everybody gets behind somebody.
And just says, okay.
What's best for the country?
All of us. Getting together, right now. And developing something that a majority of Americans can get behind.
Because I -- I just won't believe it.
If -- if this guy, Joe Biden can win, I mean, I've never seen a guy who has done this with war. And made things as unstable. Do well in a presidential election.
Never seen a president who has an economy like this. Do well in a presidential election. I've never seen a guy who is more incompetent do well -- I mean, this guy has everything going against him.
And it's still competitive?
How is that possible?
Just how is that possible?