Javier Milei: 'You Don't Beat Populism by Practicing Populism'

The December 2026 issue of Reason explores Argentine President Javier Milei's accomplishments and what is yet to be done.

We always say that government operates through three paths.

One of them is extremely important, and it is the one I came from: the cultural battle. All of us, in one way or another, wage that battle wherever we can, spreading the ideas of liberty and explaining the benefits of freedom.

But ideas alone aren't enough.

I remember that before getting involved in politics, I once went to dinner with someone. In the middle of dinner, this person kept saying, "Yes, very interesting, very interesting." Then he called his son and asked him to bring one of the political ballots that people use to vote. He said, "Ah, wonderful," put the ballot down in front of me, and asked, "Where are Milei's ideas on here?"

In other words, if we want to change reality, we not only have to engage in the cultural battle and spread these ideas; we also have to get involved in the political arena.

I often use the following example: You went to an Argentina match, and the stands were beautiful. The chants were beautiful. The spectacle in the stands was beautiful. But the ball didn't move.

To move the ball, we needed Lionel Messi scoring goals.

So if you understand that you need the cultural battle, then you also need political muscle. And once you reach power, you need competent administration. Because if we don't produce results, then we have a problem there too.

When you have spent a long time fighting the cultural battle, one of the greatest challenges you encounter as a policymaker is that afterward you have to take those ideas into elections and you have to produce results—knowing, moreover, that we do not use every tool in the toolbox.

And I make no apologies for that.

In fact, I am proud that we don't use every tool in the toolbox, because some of those tools are morally contemptible.

We are not going to violate the right to life. We are not going to violate liberty. We are not going to violate private property.

In fact, if you look at the recent debate, there are many people who, with the upcoming election year in mind—and they do this with good intentions, because they want to make sure we are reelected and can continue on this path—are asking us to loosen our monetary policy and fiscal policy.

And the answer is: We are not going to do that.

We are not going to loosen our fiscal policy. The fiscal result is not negotiable.

And we are not going to compromise on monetary policy either, because we are not going to stop until we have defeated inflation.

If I had to put it in a single sentence: You don't beat populism by practicing populism.

There is no substitute for good policy. There is no substitute for doing what is morally right. There is no substitute for implementing policies that are just.

What we have to do is stay on this path and let Argentines choose.

What could be better than, for the first time, Argentines having a genuine menu of options in which ideas and results can both be presented?

Because if there is one thing this government has demonstrated, it is that everything we promised, we have delivered.

We reached the midterm elections having fulfilled every campaign promise. And not only that: We ran our party for the first time in all 24 districts, won 16 of them, and beat that damned Kirchnerism by 17 points.

Therefore, good policies are not negotiable.

And it will be up to Argentines whether they want to return to the past, whether they want to embrace failure again, or whether they want to continue with this transformation that will make Argentina great again.

Translated and adapted from remarks by President Javier Milei at the Winds of Change conference in Buenos Aires, co-sponsored by Libertad y Progreso, the Archbridge Institute, and Reason Foundation on September 2, 2026.

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