In a dramatic escalation of U.S. financial involvement abroad, Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury under the Donald Trump administration, announced that the bailout of Javier Milei’s Argentina may reach as high as US $40 billion—effectively doubling the original package.
TPV reports: Earlier this month, the U.S. Treasury formalized a currency-swap deal of US $20 billion with Argentina’s central bank in order to prop up the faltering peso and stabilize Milei’s rapidly deteriorating economy.
According to Bessent, this was not a standard bailout but a swap—nonetheless, critics say the distinction is semantic and the risk remains with U.S. taxpayers.
Trump Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent just doubled the bailout of Argentina’s Javier Milei to $40 billion
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) October 16, 2025
US taxpayers are paying heavily for the failures of a foreign con man who’s decimated his country’s currency, sold off its assets, and fronted for 3 massive meme coin rug pulls pic.twitter.com/1I0DaXnPg3
Following Milei’s trip to Israel, the administration quietly signalled this support could be expanded by another US $20 billion, bringing the total potential exposure to $40 billion.
Javier Milei rose to power on promises of radical economic freedom and prosperity — pledging to slash bureaucracy, dollarize the economy, and unleash what he called a new “age of Argentine capitalism.”
Silicon Valley figures like Elon Musk loudly championed him as a visionary outsider, tweeting memes of Milei with lions and declaring him a model for global libertarian reform.
Since Milei took office, inflation has soared past historic levels, the peso has lost over half its value, and poverty has deepened across every province. His sweeping privatization drive gutted public services and sold off key national assets for pennies on the dollar, while unemployment and hunger have reached their highest points in decades.
Why This Is a Red Flag for “America First”
U.S. farmers and lawmakers are furious. At a time when Washington is warning of furloughs, halting research, and slashing domestic programs, the Trump administration is wiring tens of billions overseas to prop up a collapsing foreign economy.
“America First” wasn’t supposed to mean American workers last — or shuttered farms and idle factories at home while taxpayer dollars keep Argentina’s failed markets afloat.
To make matters worse, Argentina now sells more soybeans to China than the United States does. By bankrolling Milei’s so-called “free market revolution,” the U.S. is effectively subsidizing a competitor — helping Argentina undercut American farmers in the very export markets they’ve spent decades building.
As one U.S. farmer put it: “Why would USA help bail out Argentina while they take American soybean producers’ biggest market???”
Bibi Netanyahu's true last name is Mileikowsky.
— Hatwoman To The Rescue! (@Hatwoman_USA) October 17, 2025
Why does that matter?
Because Javier Milei is his relative. His real last name is also Mileikowsky.
Now we know why Bibi-owned Trump is bailing out Argentina...to help Bibi's relative. pic.twitter.com/QrG6swcFev
Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes track-records of Israeli-linked private investment vehicles in Argentina are emerging. If true, this raises questions: Are American taxpayers subsidising a foreign sovereign partly so Israeli strategic interests can gain footholds in South America?