Is Argentina Trumps you? Jon Stewart pokes US president over Milei bailout

Jon Stewart is the latest U.S. comedian to criticize President Donald Trump over the Argentina bailout. In a segment on The Daily Show on Wednesday, Stewart poked fun at Trump’s campaign slogan “Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you,” pointing to the billions of dollars Argentina received while the government remains in a shutdown. “Trump never actually told America who ‘you’ were. Are you ‘you’? Or are you ‘they/them’?” Stewart said. The host went on to show images of Trump’s US$20 billion bailout on Argentina, saying that the country represents “they ‘yous’ that do get the benefit of Trump’s largesse” as “the they/them suffer through the shutdown.” “No offense, Mr. President, but it seems kind of weird, when people are going hungry at home, to hand out that much cash to another country.” In September, the Trump administration announced an unprecedented financial support line for Milei’s government that has widely been described as a bailout. The package includes a US$20 billion currency swap and the purchase of Argentine pesos, while the U.S. government also announced they would purchase Argentine bonds and grant a private fund for a further US$20 billion. The latter could drive the funding to US$40 billion or more. President Trump defended his decision by saying that “Argentina is fighting for its life” and that “nothing is benefiting” the country because it has “no money.” Trump also said he could potentially buy Argentine beef to help lower the increasing prices of locally produced beef in the U.S., stirring criticism from local ranchers and farmers. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollings later downplayed this by saying that any purchases would “not be much” due to a “foot and mouth disease issue” allegedly affecting Argentine beef, something local experts denied. “Do you know what some of the billions going to Argentina are being used for in the midst of what may be a burgeoning hunger crisis in America? Beef!” Stewart exclaimed. “Trump is for you, Argentinian beef cattle ranchers.” Milei on U.S. primetime This is not the first time Milei has made it to U.S. primetime. He was first profiled upon taking office two years ago, and has become a target of talk shows and comedy shows following the bailout announcement. Two weeks ago, the Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Michael Che and Colin Jost, compared the Argentine president to  Austin Powers following his Washington visit to secure the bailout. Jost introduced him showing a photo of Milei next to one of Austin Powers, with Milei’s puffy hair and black reading glasses resembling Powers’, saying “Argentine President Javier Milei, seen here asking if he ‘makes you horny, baby?’” had visited Trump at the White House over the bailout. Around the same time, CNN’s segment Have I Got News for You showed images of the self-produced rock show Milei gave in a stadium earlier in October to question the bailout. In a brief segment, host Roy Wood Jr. discussed Argentina and Milei with his columnists while showing images of the president, comparing him to a “dollar store Wolverine” and a “British variety show host with allegations pending.” Milei first made headlines in the U.S. after coming first in the 2023 presidential primaries. The most notable was comedian John Oliver, who showed images from 2019 of Milei dressed in a black and yellow superhero costume and calling himself General Ancap — short for anarcho-capitalist.  “Yeah! Just a classic, run-of-the-mill, presidential candidate dressed like Mr. Peanut dressed as a wizard dressed as Batman, pledging to kick the shit out of Keynesians,” Oliver said.