Following the public praise from Donald Trump and Elon Musk, Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, appears to be distancing himself from Vice President Victoria Villarruel, a figure linked to former participants of the 1976-83 dictatorship whose advocacy began before and persisted after Milei took office. On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of Milei’s surprising second-round victory, he publicly announced a split. He delivered the break with a harsh insult that matches his libertarian, anti‑establishment voice. Villarruel is described as someone close to the caste, a label used to demean opponents and signal that she sits outside Milei’s inner circle. The two are not placed in the same category as terrorists, brutes, or corrupt figures used by some to smear hardline Peronists.
Her removal from influence came abruptly in a television interview. Milei stated that she has no say in decision making and no longer attends cabinet meetings. In other words, the distance between them has long since become public knowledge. After the interview made headlines, the presidential spokesperson, Manuel Adorni, steered away from further commentary and dismissed the notion that Villarruel should resign.
Sources within the government cited by Clarín say the administration only highlighted a reality. They did not claim anything new beyond what has been evident for months. Tensions first surfaced about a year earlier. Villarruel, drawn from a family with military ties, had aspired to oversee the ministries of Defense or Security. Milei offered those portfolios to the traditional right as a bargaining chip in exchange for support in the second round. Later, he hoped to chart his own course, a move that was viewed unfavorably by many, especially Karina Milei, the sister of a well-known media figure who is now a powerful voice in the country. Although she lacks a Thatcher-like pedigree, Villarruel is seen as trying to constrain much of the party’s leadership through a disciplined approach and a determined personal stake in her agenda.
Months of Unsteady Relations
“Poor little jamoncito,” Villarruel reportedly said to describe the president’s position as caught between her and his sister. The image of a president flattened by competing pressures did little to calm the nerves of Milei’s allies, who were buoyed by improved poll numbers and a sense that the Trump-era rhetoric and alliances were vital for expanding the family project beyond 2026.
According to La Nación, Villarruel was left stunned by the moment Milei renewed his criticisms of her. That impulse made her tread carefully about her next moves. The vice president had been linked since December with rumors that spread through newsroom corridors: an alleged alliance with former president Mauricio Macri to oust Milei via a political move in Congress. Even former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner weighed in, denying plans to fold legislators into any conspiracy. Villarruel was also tied to conservative Peronists interested in her nationalist positions. Weeks earlier, she praised Isabel Perón, who led Argentina briefly after the 1976 coup and who spent years in exile. Under Isabel Perón further authority was granted to military forces to quash guerrillas, a fact that later figures cited in judgments about the dictatorship.
Villarruel also dismissed Milei in several public appearances, insisting on her own agenda and relying on traditional Catholic values. She has publicly attacked certain contemporary novelists for what she calls provocative depictions that amount to incitement. The defense of her stance remains a point of pride for her inner circle.
Inside Villarruel’s camp, the sense that a backlash was looming grew as the media spotlight intensified. Still, many within the circle insist she remains part of the government and believes channels can be found to steer the relationship back onto a productive track.
The alliance between Milei and Villarruel was never seamless, drawing from different strands of a far-right spectrum. Milei has always prioritized economic issues, while Villarruel has highlighted a militaristic lineage and fought to defend a section of legal actors linked to the security apparatus. Analysts do not rule out a reconciliation, and the dynamic remains a live political question. In the October 2023 presidential debate, Milei accused Patricia Bullrich of having planted bombs in nurseries because of her past with the Montoneros movement. Bullrich would eventually pivot to support Milei in the second round, receiving the Security Ministry and becoming a cornerstone of the government.
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Un viejo historial de peleas en el Ejecutivo
Beyond the unfolding drama, Milei’s leadership mirrors a recurring theme in Argentine governance: battles between presidents and vice presidents have been a persistent feature since 1983. Milei’s predecessors, Alberto Fernández and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, ended up locked in mutual animosity. What stands out in this administration is the steady turnover of senior officials who are dismissed by executive anger, a pattern that sometimes reaches staff through televised moments of upheaval rather than through formal channels. What remains clear is that the political landscape in Argentina continues to be shaped by clashes at the highest levels, with leadership teams reordering themselves in response to shifting loyalties, public opinion, and the pressure of governing in a divided country.