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Plagiarism, homage or a gesture of diplomatic audacity? Perhaps it was all three things together: in his first speech before the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), Javier Milei used a phrase that seems to have been taken almost verbatim from the script of the legendary series. The West Wingwhich was all the rage between 1999 and 2006.
As revealed Carlos Pagni In its last column, the aforementioned text is included at the end of the 15 minutes that the President used to speak before delegations from the rest of the world.
Milei said: “We believe in freedom of expression for all; we believe in freedom of worship for all; We believe in free trade for all and we believe in limited government, all of them. And since in these times what happens in one country quickly impacts others, we believe that all peoples should live free from tyranny and oppression, whether it takes the form of political oppression, economic slavery or religious fanaticism. That fundamental idea should not remain mere words; It has to be supported by facts, diplomatically, economically and materially”.
In episode 15 of the fourth season of the series, the main character – President Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen– he tells his collaborators, gathered around him in the Oval Room of the White House: “We are in favor of freedom of expression everywhere. We are in favor of freedom of religion everywhere. We are in favor of the freedom to learn… for everyone. And since in our time, a bomb can be built in our country and brought to mine, what happens in our country is my business. That’s why we stand for freedom from tyranny, everywhere, whether under the guise of political oppression, Toby, or economic slavery, Josh, or religious fanaticism, CJ That fundamental idea cannot be confronted simply with our support . We must face it with our strength. Diplomatically, economically and materially”.
It’s hard to think of a coincidence. The West Wing It is the favorite series of Santiago CaputoMilei’s powerful communication advisor. Hugo Alconada Mon revealed in a recent article that Caputo’s fanaticism for the show created by Aaron Sorkin It took him to see it in its entirety (there are seven seasons) between seven and nine times.
“A fan of screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, Caputo watched the series The West Wingcomplete, between seven and nine times. “But he also suggested to the leadership of Move Group (the consulting firm he founded) that whoever wanted to join the company should see the series as an unavoidable condition,” the journalist wrote.
Although never as clear as in the case of the UN, there were other speeches by Milei as president that aroused suspicion among fans of the series due to the similarities with the characters’ parliaments.
For example, in the inaugural speech on December 10, with his back to the National Congress, Milei said: “The challenges we have are enormous but so is our ability to overcome them.”
In one of the most memorable lines of the series, Bartlet tells an excited audience: “Every time we think we have reached our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and remember that that capacity may well be limitless.”
The complete cast of “The West Wing”
There were also those who pointed out one of the central phrases of Milei’s speech on national television on April 22, when he announced: “The era of the present State is over.” The chapter in which Toby Ziegler, Bartlet’s “Caputo,” somberly tells the president: “The era of big government is over” is well remembered.
There is also some nod to The West Wing in the Mileist institutional aesthetics, very visible in the lecterns he uses to speak in Congress, something that his predecessors had not appealed to in recent decades.
Santiago Caputo takes a selfie at the door of the White House (in the West Wing), along with Javier Milei, Karina Milei, Nicolas Posse, Luis Caputo and Gerardo Werthein, on a trip prior to the presidential inaugurationX
In fiction, Bartlet is – like Milei – an economist and university professor who decides to take the step towards political battle. Has the Nobel Prize of Economy, a dream that the Argentine president has verbalized on more than one occasion. Where they clearly differ is in their political vision: Bartlet is the prototype of the democrat, progressive, socioliberal and defender of the public. Everything that the libertarian Milei despises, as was evident in the speech before the UN inspired by The West Wing.
THE NATIONAccording to the criteria ofType of work: original news
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