Milei renews attacks on Sánchez after contentious visit to Madrid

Javier Milei's visit to Madrid became a platform for attacking Pedro Sánchez and supporting the Spanish right. On October 18, Perfil.com previewed the trip as an effort to campaign against Sánchez.

The timing gave the confrontation an immediate electoral context. Spain's next general election is scheduled for November 29, according to elEconomista.es. In Argentina, Milei and his opponents are already preparing for the presidential election in 2027.

On October 21, Milei called Sánchez an "impresentable dictador" and accused him of corruption during his Madrid visit, El Colombiano reported. He also urged Spaniards to remove the socialists from power, according to Le Monde.

Sánchez responded on X by defending his left-wing politics, Euronews reported. Spain's foreign ministry condemned Milei's statements as insults and slander, according to DIE WELT.

The visit also included a warm meeting with Isabel Díaz Ayuso. elEconomista.es reported on October 21 that the two embraced and held talks lasting almost two hours. Milei also participated in the Foro Nueva Economía during a trip lasting barely 24 hours.

On October 22, Ayuso defended Milei by pointing to his election by Argentine voters, according to RT en Español. But Felipe González argued that repeated visits by Milei could help Sánchez win, ABC reported. On October 23, Juan Luis Cebrián similarly warned that Milei's aggression could benefit Sánchez and hurt the Spanish right, according to Perfil.com.

Meanwhile, Argentina's opposition was trying to bridge its own divisions. On October 22, Perfil.com reported that Axel Kicillof, Máximo Kirchner and Sergio Massa were due to meet to seek agreement over primary elections and the 2027 budget, following separate Peronist commemorations and internal disputes.

The exchange had not subsided by October 24. RT en Español reported renewed attacks in which Milei called Sánchez a corrupt thief and accused him of regularising immigrants to gain votes for the PSOE. Those are Milei's accusations, not established findings in the supplied coverage.

At home, Milei remains publicly confident about reelection. Infobae reported on October 24 that he expected Argentines to support his continuation in office. That confidence follows his acknowledgment of economic difficulties on October 22, reported by El Cronista.

Milei also denied an internal dispute involving Patricia Bullrich, describing her as a partner, according to El Cronista. His comments followed public signals from Bullrich about a possible future candidacy.

Spain's November 29 election is the next fixed milestone. González and Cebrián have argued that Milei's intervention could help Sánchez rather than his opponents, but the supplied coverage does not establish an electoral effect.

In Argentina, the dispute over whether to retain the PASO primary elections will shape how the opposition organises. Infobae reported that Kicillof's government opposed Milei's administration's plan to eliminate or suspend them. The supplied reports announce the October 22 Peronist meeting but do not establish what agreement, if any, it produced.