Right-wing Argentinian President Javier Milei has been accused of swiping the words of an iconic left-leaning world leader for his United Nations speech.
Milei was suspected of plagiarizing from popular political drama "The West Wing" after political columnist Carlos Pagni wrote for local news outlet La Nación about the "extraordinary" similarities between the president's speech and the show's fictional president Josiah "Jed" Bartlet.
In his address to UN on Sept. 24, Milei said, "We believe in defending everyone's lives. We believe in defending everyone's property. We believe in freedom of speech for everybody. We believe in freedom to worship for everybody. We believe in freedom of trade for everybody ... And because in these times what happens in one country quickly has an impact in others, we believe all people should live free from tyranny and oppression, whether in the form of political oppression, economic slavery or religious fanaticism. This fundamental idea must not be mere words – it has to be supported by deeds: diplomatically, economically and materially."
In comparison, Bartlet tells his staff in episode 15 of season four, "We're for freedom of speech everywhere. We're for freedom to worship everywhere. We're for freedom to learn ... for everybody. And because in our time, you can build a bomb in your country and bring it to my country, what goes on in your country is very much my business. And so we are for freedom from tyranny, everywhere, whether in the guise of political oppression ... or economic slavery ... or religious fanaticism ... That most fundamental idea cannot be met with merely our support. It has to be met with our strength: diplomatically, economically, materially."
Milei's chief strategist Santiago Caputo was previously reported by La Nación to be "fanatical" about the show, having reportedly seen the series "between seven to nine times."
Video of the two speeches side-by-side has amassed more than 21,000 views on YouTube, with dozens of social media users poking fun at Milei. "We are the laughing stock of the world," one person commented.
Many social media users were also quick to note the dark humor in seeing the hardline conservative parrot the words of a progressive Democrat, albeit a fictional one.
Milei was previously seen enthusiastically hugging Trump at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, as reported by the Associated Press. The Argentinian ran his campaign largely inspired by Trump, making "Make Argentina Great Again" hats and having similar stances on issues such as migration.
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