Milei Lands in Washington for 36-Hour Visit

NEWS · ARGENTINA

Argentine President Javier Milei landed in Washington on Wednesday 14 October for a 36-hour visit focused on US investors and conservative allies. It is his fifth trip to the United States this year and his 20th since he took office in December 2023.

On Thursday he is due to receive a free-enterprise award and speak at the US Chamber of Commerce, where Energy Secretary Chris Wright will give the opening remarks. For US readers, the trip ties Argentina’s shale and mining push to American capital and to Trump’s midterm campaign.

What Milei Has Planned in Washington

Milei arrived on the presidential plane with Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and his sister Karina Milei, the secretary general of the presidency, Clarín reported. Alec Oxenford, Argentina’s ambassador to the United States, met the delegation at the airport.

His first meetings on Wednesday afternoon are with Andy Kleinman, an Argentine technology investor who heads Delphi Interactive, and with US oilman Harold Hamm. Hamm founded Continental Resources, an early leader in US shale drilling, and is one of Trump’s main allies in the energy industry.

In August, Continental Resources agreed to buy 50% of Phoenix Global Resources, a company that operates in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale formation. That deal gives Hamm a direct stake in the success of the energy opening Milei is promoting.

On Wednesday evening, Milei is guest of honour at the Official Hispanic Heritage Gala in the Mellon Auditorium, a short walk from the White House. According to the official agenda, he will receive an award for leadership and global impact and give a short speech.

The gala is organised by Latino Wall Street, led by Puerto Rican businessman Tony Delgado, and by La Derecha Diario, a conservative news site, Clarín said. Perfil reported in August that groups behind the event raise money for Republican candidates.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, a son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, was also announced as a guest of honour at the gala. His brother Flávio Bolsonaro faces President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s runoff on Sunday 25 October.

On Thursday, he speaks at the US Chamber of Commerce on Argentina’s challenge of growing again after decades of populism. At the same event he receives the “Global Champion of Free Enterprise” award, with Wright due to open the session.

Later on Thursday, the president hosts a meeting at the Argentine embassy on Holocaust remembrance and the fight against antisemitism. Argentina currently holds the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, known as the IHRA.

Trump, the Midterms and Brazil

Trump will not be in Washington on Wednesday because he is campaigning in Nevada, Arizona and Montana, Clarín reported. No bilateral meeting between the two presidents appears on the official agenda published before the trip.

Quirno told a radio interviewer that it was a trip by the president “at a particular moment” for the United States. US voters elect the whole House of Representatives and about a third of the Senate on Tuesday 3 November.

The Argentine leader has openly backed both Trump and the Bolsonaro family, and his government has leaned on support from Washington. That support includes a US$20 billion currency swap line signed by the US Treasury and Argentina’s central bank in October 2025.

Milei’s appearance alongside Eduardo Bolsonaro comes as Brazil’s presidential race enters its final two weeks. The latest polls and betting odds are in Who Leads Brazil’s Runoff 11 Days Out.

What It Means for You

For US energy and mining investors, the trip is another pitch for Vaca Muerta and for RIGI, Argentina’s regime of tax and currency guarantees for large projects. Hamm’s Phoenix deal and Wright’s role on Thursday show senior US energy figures engaging with that pitch directly.

The risk is political as much as economic, because open support for Trump and the Bolsonaros ties Argentina’s image to foreign elections. A Democratic gain in Congress or a Lula win in Brazil could leave Buenos Aires with fewer friends in key capitals.

Economy Minister Luis Caputo is meanwhile in Bangkok for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Any financing news from those talks may matter more to bondholders than the speeches in Washington.

For who holds power in Buenos Aires, see Argentina Politics Explained, Who Holds Power in 2026. Ties with Washington and other capitals are covered in Argentina Foreign Powers and Investors in 2026, and the capital in the Buenos Aires city guide.

What Is Not Known

It is not known whether Milei will meet Trump before he leaves, as no such meeting has been announced. Neither side has said what Milei and Hamm will discuss or whether any investment figure will be made public.

It is also unclear whether Eduardo Bolsonaro will hold a separate meeting with the Argentine president beyond the gala. The full guest list and the names of any US officials attending have not been published.

The president is due to leave Washington on Thursday night and land in Buenos Aires on Friday 16 October. Any announcement at the Chamber of Commerce would be the first concrete economic outcome of the visit.

What Prediction Markets Say

Polymarket bettors give a 12.5% chance that Trump and Milei meet in person by 31 October, as of 2:48 p.m. ET on Wednesday. A price of 12.5 cents reads as a 12.5% chance, and the last trade was at 11 cents.

The market is thin, with about US$14,600 traded since it opened and roughly US$1,500 in the past week. The price slipped 1.5 points over the week, as no meeting appeared on the published agenda.

Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Milei in Washington?

The president is attending a Hispanic Heritage gala, meeting investors and speaking at the US Chamber of Commerce. It is his fifth US trip of 2026 and his 20th as president.

Will Milei meet Trump on this trip?

No meeting with Trump is on the official agenda, and Trump is campaigning in western states on Wednesday. Milei is due to share Thursday’s Chamber of Commerce event with Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

Who is Harold Hamm?

Harold Hamm is the founder and chairman emeritus of Continental Resources, an early leader in US shale oil. His company agreed in August to buy half of Phoenix Global Resources, which operates in Vaca Muerta.

Why does Eduardo Bolsonaro’s presence matter?

Eduardo Bolsonaro is the brother of Flávio Bolsonaro, who faces Lula in Brazil’s runoff on 25 October. Sharing a gala stage with him signals Milei’s support for the Bolsonaro camp.

When does Milei return to Argentina?

He is scheduled to fly back on Thursday night after a Holocaust remembrance event at the Argentine embassy. He is due in Buenos Aires on the morning of Friday 16 October.

Sources: Official presidential agenda as published by Perfil and Diario Panorama; Clarín; Perfil (Bolsonaro); Perfil (gala organisers); Casa Rosada.

Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error