Milei's Madrid Visit Escalates Feud With Sánchez Before Spanish Election

Javier Milei's trip to Spain became a confrontation with Pedro Sánchez rather than simply a round of business and political meetings. On October 18, Perfil.com previewed the visit as a trip to campaign against Sánchez.

The timing gave that intervention particular weight. Spain was approaching legislative elections, with voting scheduled for November 29, according to elEconomista.es. Milei's attack came less than six weeks before the vote, Le Monde reported.

There was an electoral backdrop at home, too. Milei's government was preparing for Argentina's 2027 presidential election, while Buenos Aires province governor Axel Kicillof used an October 17 Peronist gathering to predict that his movement would return to power the following year, according to El Cronista.

On October 21 in Madrid, Milei called Sánchez a dictator and a thief and urged Spaniards to remove the socialists from office, Le Monde reported. He also ruled out meeting Sánchez, according to DER SPIEGEL. These were Milei's accusations, not established findings about the Spanish prime minister.

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

The visit nevertheless included a warm reception from Isabel Díaz Ayuso. The two embraced and met for almost two hours, according to elEconomista.es, which reported that Milei's stay lasted barely 24 hours. His agenda also included a business audience, El Cronista reported.

On October 22, Ayuso defended Milei by stressing that he had been elected by the Argentine people and demanding respect for that mandate, according to RT en Español. The same day, Felipe González, Spain's former prime minister, suggested that repeated Milei visits could help Sánchez win, ABC reported.

On October 23, Juan Luis Cebrián offered a similar assessment. He warned that Milei's aggression could benefit Sánchez and hurt the Spanish right, according to Perfil.com. On October 24, RT en Español reported renewed attacks from Milei, including an accusation that Sánchez was regularizing immigrants to gain votes for the PSOE.

The visit produced both a public display of friendship with Ayuso and an official Spanish rebuke. The coverage does not establish that Milei's intervention has changed voting intentions. González's and Cebrián's comments are political assessments of its possible effect, not election results or polling evidence.

In Argentina, Milei has acknowledged economic difficulties while maintaining confidence about reelection. On October 22, El Cronista reported his admission that economic indicators were not improving as positively as initially expected. Two days later, Infobae reported that he felt very confident about his chances of remaining in power.

His domestic opponents are also discussing their next moves. Kicillof, Sergio Massa and Máximo Kirchner were scheduled to meet on October 22, with primary elections and the 2027 budget among the issues intended to bring Peronist factions closer together, according to Perfil.com. That report described the planned talks, not an agreed outcome.

Spain's November 29 election is the next concrete test of the political forces Milei sought to support. Whether his attacks help those allies or give Sánchez an opportunity to rally supporters remains unresolved in the supplied coverage.

Argentina's electoral rules are another pending issue. Kicillof's government has defended the open, simultaneous and compulsory primaries known as PASO, while Milei's administration wants to eliminate or suspend them, Infobae reported. That dispute will help determine how the opposition organizes for 2027.