How long trump and Argentinian president melei have been friends

1. What the record actually shows: transactional, official contacts, not a long personal friendship

Contemporary news accounts from 2019 record an official congratulatory phone call from President Trump to then–president-elect Alberto Fernández, where the two discussed bilateral relations and the IMF; White House statements framed this as diplomatic engagement rather than a personal bond ^{[1] [2]}. Multiple outlets transcribed Fernández telling Trump he sought a “mature and cordial” working relationship and quoted Trump as saying “Don’t hesitate to call me,” language consistent with standard diplomatic courtesies rather than proof of a deep friendship ^{[3] [4]}.

2. Why some observers may misread “cordial” as “friends”

Analysts and opinion pieces often conflate transactional cooperation with friendship when summarizing executive communications. For example, editorials argued the Trump administration had influence over Argentina’s dealings with the IMF and urged Fernández to court Washington—language that frames cooperation as closeness even where primary sources show only a phone call and policy signals ^{[5] [6]}. The difference matters: a single congratulatory call and public exhortations to “work together” provide political cover and coordination, not decades-long personal ties ^{[2] [1]}.

3. On Javier Milei: reporting in these sources is limited or absent

The search results provided do not include contemporaneous, detailed accounts documenting a long friendship between Trump and Javier Milei. One later item in the list ^[7] mentions praise from Trump for Milei’s government in 2025 reporting, but the snippet and source are limited and out of scope for confirming a longstanding friendship; therefore, available sources do not mention a sustained personal friendship between Trump and Milei beyond official meetings or praise (p1_s8, available sources do not mention a Trump–Milei friendship).

4. Competing perspectives in the record: praise versus skepticism

Some sources depict pragmatic cooperation—Trump offering to coordinate with the IMF and expressing support for Argentina’s economic recovery—while other analyses warn that U.S. policy under Trump was transactional and could be leveraged for political ends ^{[1] [5]}. Foreign Policy and think tanks cautioned that an incoming Argentine government would still face pressure from Washington, framing interactions as strategic pressure rather than mutual personal loyalty ^{[6] [8]}.

5. What would prove “friends” and why that evidence isn’t in these sources

Documentary evidence of an enduring friendship would include repeated private meetings over years, public statements of personal affection, or biographical accounts of long-term ties. The items here show only diplomatic contact, occasional praise, and analysis of policy alignment—none of which meet that threshold ^{[2] [1] [3]}. Wikipedia and profiles in this set focus on political interactions and policy disputes rather than intimate personal bonds ^[9].

6. Limitations and what to check next

This summary is limited to the documents provided. To determine whether Trump and Milei have a demonstrable personal friendship, look for: multiple dated meetings (in-person/photo evidence), direct quotes calling each other “friends” across time, or memoir/biography materials documenting personal ties. Those items are not present in the current reporting set (available sources do not mention such evidence).

Bottom line: the sourced record here documents official, largely transactional exchanges between Trump and Argentine leaders—most concretely a November 2019 congratulatory phone call with Alberto Fernández ^{[1] [2]}—but does not substantiate a long-standing personal friendship with either Fernández or Javier Milei (available sources do not mention a Trump–Milei friendship).