A sense of tension hung in the air at the Congress Centre in Davos on Thursday morning. WEF President Børge Brende had billed the speech by Javier Milei as the “highlight” of the day. Those familiar with Milei knew to expect something out of the ordinary. However, what followed was less a discussion on the future of the world economy and more a vitriolic attack on the fundamentals of the Western system.
Milei, the unorthodox economist who was elected president of Argentina in 2023, is known for his performances. He had previously used a chainsaw in his election campaign as a symbol of his promise to radically reform the state apparatus. On this Thursday, he seemed to be making the symbolic a reality. His words cut through the room with the sharpness of a knife: “The world is at a crossroads – and the Western elite is leading us to the abyss.”
He began his speech by looking back. A year ago, he had been the lone voice warning of the truth about the West. At the time, everyone had laughed at him, ignored him, or possibly even avoided him. However, today, he claimed with a hint of triumph, he was no longer alone.
“My dear friends Giorgia Meloni, Viktor Orbán, and Donald Trump – they all understand me. We are fighting for freedom” he declared.
Milei’s rhetoric soon turned to a storm. Instead of discussing his economic plans, he targeted what he called the “epidemic of wokeism” – a disease, he said, that was spreading through the Western world. Radical feminism, inclusion, abortion, and climate protection – all of these, he claimed, were part of a Marxist agenda aimed at controlling society.
His voice rose as he conjured up the supposed downfall of the Western world.
“Everything that goes beyond the protection of life, freedom, and property is a tool of the political class to seize power for themselves” he cried out to the audience.
A few of his supporters applauded enthusiastically, but the majority of the audience remained silent.
The contrast was stark. While some of his supporters cheered, a sense of disorientation hung over the rest of the audience. Here was a man who had come to not only criticize but also question the very foundations of the forum – dialogue, cooperation, and inclusion.
And Milei seemed to be aware of the impact of his words. “Freedom, freedom, freedom – damn it!” he concluded his speech, raising his fist in the air. Then, in a strange scene, the moderator rushed to Milei, thanked him briefly, and led him off the stage. No discussion, no questions.
Scarcely had Milei left the room when the whispers began. For his supporters, he was the unafraid freedom fighter, speaking the truth that no one else dared to utter. For others, his performance was an attack on the fundamental principles that made the World Economic Forum possible in the first place.
Milei had used his platform to polarize – and that was his intention. Whether one admires or rejects him, one thing is certain: this performance will not be forgotten soon. And Davos will still be talking about the chainsaw from Buenos Aires.