Javier Milei, the newly elected president of Argentina, made his debut address to the United Nations General Assembly, and it wasn’t his words that shocked the world, but their striking resemblance to a key scene from the popular TV show ‘The West Wing.’ The similarities between Milei’s speech and a monologue delivered by the fictional President Josiah Bartlet in the fourth season of the political drama have sparked discussions on whether the president’s speech was plagiarism or intentional homage.
Prominent Argentine journalist Carlos Pagni was one of the first to point out the connection, highlighting the close alignment between Milei’s speech and Bartlet’s monologue. During his 15-minute address, Milei delivered a passage that many have noted bears an uncanny resemblance to Bartlet’s speech from “The West Wing.”
“We believe in freedom of speech for all; we believe in freedom of worship for all; we believe in free trade for all, and we believe in limited governments, all of them,” Milei said during last week’s speech. “And since in these times what happens in one country quickly impacts others, we believe that all peoples should live free from tyranny and oppression, whether it takes the form of political oppression, economic slavery, or religious fanaticism. That fundamental idea must not remain mere words; it must be supported by deeds, diplomatically, economically, and materially.”
This echoes a near-verbatim passage from the series’ 15th episode of season four. “We’re for freedom of speech everywhere. We’re for freedom of worship everywhere. We’re for freedom to learn… for everybody. And as in our time, you can build a bomb in your country and bring it to mine, what happens in your country is my business.,” President Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen, said to his team in the Oval Office. “That’s why we’re for freedom from tyranny everywhere, whether it takes the form of political oppression, Toby, or economic slavery, Josh, or religious fanaticism, C.J. That fundamental idea can’t be met simply with our support. It has to be met with our strength. Diplomatically, economically, materially.”
The resemblance between the two speeches is hard to ignore. Santiago Caputo , Milei’s controversial communications advisor, actively embraces his dedication to “The West Wing.” As Argentine journalist Hugo Alconada Mon recently pointed out, Caputo has reportedly watched the entire series between seven and nine times. Caputo even suggested that new employees at his consulting firm, Move Group, watch the show as a condition for joining the company.
This isn’t the first time Milei’s speeches have raised suspicions. His inaugural address on December 10th also featured rhetoric that bore a resemblance to Bartlet’s character. Standing before the Argentine Congress, Milei said: “The challenges we face are enormous, but so is our capacity to overcome them,” words eerily similar to Bartlet’s famous line, “Every time we think we’ve measured our capacity to meet a challenge, we look up and realize that capacity may well be limitless.”
In another instance, Milei’s national broadcast on April 22, where he proclaimed: “The era of the present State is over,” echoes a line from the show in which Bartlet’s speechwriter Toby Ziegler says: “The era of big government is over.”
Milei’s reliance on “The West Wing” may extend beyond mere rhetoric. Observers have noted aesthetic similarities between Milei’s public appearances and the institutional style portrayed in the series, particularly the podiums used for his speeches—an element that his predecessors have largely avoided. The president’s admiration for the fictional Nobel laureate economist Bartlet is also worth noting, as both share a professional background in economics. Yet, the parallels end there. Bartlet embodies a progressive Democrat with strong support for public institutions, while Milei’s libertarian views stand in stark contrast, advocating for minimal government intervention.
This isn’t the first time the Argentinian president has faced plagiarism accusations. Critics attacked Milei’s book “Pandenomics” for including several uncredited passages from authors like Gita Gopinath and Antonio Guirao Piñera . They also accused him of copying ideas from Austrian School economists like Ludwig von Mises and Murray Rothbard without proper citation in his columns. Milei defended himself arguing that as a “communicator” he isn’t obligated to cite sources in his writings.
