Thousands of sympathizers of Argentine President Javier Milei flocked the streets of Buenos Aires on Sunday to celebrate Milei’s inauguration — some of them donning costumes, shirts, and flags that made them stand out among the rest.
Milei was inaugurated on Sunday, becoming the first libertarian candidate successfully elected president in the West by soundly defeating socialist now-former Economy Minister Sergio Massa. Milei has vowed to apply “shock therapy” to Argentina as nearly two decades of socialist governments have left the South American nation facing a dire and extremely complex economic situation.
The inauguration attracted 25,000 people to Buenos Aires, many of whom celebrated the occasion in outlandish and bizarre costumes.
One such sympathizer, an Argentine man, decided to dress up like Goku, the main character from the Japanese anime series Dragon Ball Z. The man, filmed by a reporter from the Argentine newspaper Crónica, chanted, “long live democracy,” and, “long live liberty, damn it,” Milei’s campaign slogan.
The Dragon Ball series, which has remained extraordinarily popular across Latin America since the 1990s, became an unlikely fixture in Milei campaign posts online and featured extensively in memes and social media posts made by sympathizers throughout 2023. One such meme featured Goku extending his hand, presumably to the person to whom the meme was sent, with the caption, “welcome to the forces of Heaven,” a catchphrase used to welcome new Milei supporters.
Miralo a @anellogaby. Bienvenido a las Fuerzas del Cielo https://t.co/zXHHrdDUZ9 pic.twitter.com/zazLoUth5j
— Juan Doe (@jdoedoe101101) August 26, 2023
The phrase originates in a citation in 3 Maccabees widely used by Milei and his sympathizers. Milei repeated it in an address to the crowd on Sunday.
One man appeared at the inauguration dressed as Zorro, a character Milei has described as an “anarcho-capitalist” and embraced as a political icon.
A supporter dressed as Zorro waves a national flag as Argentina’s new president speaks at the crowd from a balcony of the Casa Rosada government palace during his inauguration day in Buenos Aires on December 10, 2023. (Luis ROBAYO/AFP)
A pair of Argentines opted to dress up on Sunday as the characters of the anime series Chainsaw Man, a series linked to Milei after the candidate vowed to “chainsaw” public spending, which Milei illustrated throughout his campaign by wielding an actual chainsaw in public events.
LLEGÓ LA MOTOSIERRA
ὄ Los fanáticos disfrazados de la militancia de LLA dijeron presente en la Plaza de Mayo, durante la asunción de @JMilei, incluyendo también el ya famoso "Motosierra Man".
📹 @wolfprodarg 🐺
🇷 Seguí la cobertura exclusiva de la asunción presidencial en… pic.twitter.com/PQntnHmG6e
— Diario Crónica (@cronica) December 10, 2023
When asked by Crónica what his expectations were for Milei’s government, the man dressed as the eponymous Chainsaw Man answered, “dollarization, the closure of the central bank [of Argentina], the opening of the economy, hoping that Milei’s election is a message for all of Latin America’s countries so they begin a ‘libertarian revolution.'”
Another notable participant was an elderly man only identified as the “Libertarian Gaucho.” Gaucho is a term used in Argentina and neighboring Uruguay to describe a nomadic horseman — gauchos and their culture are Argentina’s equivalent to an American “cowboy.”
In a video that spread on social media, the “Libertarian Gaucho” showed his large knife, which, he said, he brought so that Milei can make the “cuts” in government spending that Argentina’s economy desperately requires.
Hoy en intelectuales de miller
El gaucho libertario con la faca del dark souls pic.twitter.com/uh8u5LALAu— ElBuni (@therealbuni) December 10, 2023
When asked by Crónica what would he say to Milei, the “Libertarian Gaucho” answered that gauchos need a law that allows them to openly carry their traditional Facón knife on the waist.
Other sympathizers opted to wear the uniform of Argentina’s national soccer team, with some waving both the nation’s flag, the Gadsden flag, and flags featuring Milei’s lion campaign imagery.
A woman carries a lion on top of her head, a representative figure during Javier Milei’s campaign, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 10, 2023. (Lucas Aguayo Araos/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Supporters of Argentina’s President-elect Javier Milei gather outside Casa Rosada Presidential Palace during his inauguration day in Buenos Aires on December 10, 2023. (Emiliano LASALVIA / AFP)
Supporters of Argentina’s new president Javier Milei wave national flags as he delivers a speech after swearing in during his inauguration ceremony outside the Congress in Buenos Aires on December 10, 2023. (LUIS ROBAYO/AFP)
Argentine newspaper Perfil reported that a person dressed as a dinosaur was spotted “dancing to the sound of the drumbeats.”
“The curious attire did not go unnoticed, so some people took a picture with the animal,” Perfil wrote.
Some individuals reportedly were selling shirts with the slogan “there’s no money,” a phrase Milei has repeated regularly to summarize the current status of Argentina’s economy.
— Santiago Oría (@Santiago_Oria) December 10, 2023
Supporters of other conservatives in the region also displayed their alliances during Milei’s inauguration. One man was spotted in a Brazilian soccer jersey with the name of former President Jair Bolsonaro — a special guest of Milei’s on Sunday — and holding a banner supporting American former President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
A supporter of former President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and Donald Trump of the US is seen outside Casa Rosada Presidential Palace during Argentina’s President-elect Javier Milei’s inauguration day in Buenos Aires on December 10, 2023. (Cezaro DE LUCA / AFP)
Past midnight, libertarian lawmaker Lilia Lemoine was recorded talking to a man dressed in a Spiderman costume. Both were allegedly discussing Milei’s economic policies.
"Lilia Lemoine":
Porque se puso a debatir con Spiderman sobre medidas económicas a las 12 de la noche en pleno centro.pic.twitter.com/a63bZPZlES
— ¿Por qué es tendencia? (@porqueTTarg) December 11, 2023
After the inauguration and Sunday’s relevant events were over, Milei’s supporters cleaned the streets of Buenos Aires, reportedly inspired by the “optimism” and appreciation for their country.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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