President Biden called Javier Milei, the president-elect of Argentina, on Wednesday to congratulate him on his victory, the administration said.
The White House said Mr. Biden discussed “the importance of continuing to build on our strong bilateral relationship.”
Mr. Milei, a populist who has been compared to former U.S. President Donald Trump, resoundingly won Argentina’s presidential election Sunday, swinging the country’s notoriously left-leaning political landscape to the right.
“The president applauded the conduct of the election as a testament to the strength of Argentina’s democratic institutions,” the White House said in a readout of the call.
“The two leaders discussed the importance of continuing to build on the strong relationship between the United States and Argentina on economic issues, on regional and multilateral cooperation, and on shared priorities, including advocating for the protection of human rights, addressing food insecurity and investing in clean energy,” it said.
Mr. Milei regularly and fiercely pushed anti-communist rhetoric during the deeply polarized presidential campaign.
Many of his stances run counter to Mr. Biden’s own agenda, and the lack of an earlier congratulatory call made it seem as if the U.S. leader was snubbing the outspoken leader.
However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Mr. Milei shortly after his election.
Mr. Biden is spending the Thanksgiving holiday on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket.
Besides the Milei call, Mr. Biden spoke Wednesday to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani about a deal to pause fighting in the Gaza Strip and release hostages taken by the Hamas terrorist group during its assault on Oct. 7.
The White House said Mr. Biden also was briefed on the vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge entry point along the U.S.-Canada border in upstate New York.
• Guy Taylor and Kerry Picket contributed to this story.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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