“Bald Trash”
Milei triggers a diplomatic scandal
07/27/2026 – 02:09 amReading time: 2 minutes
Argentina’s right-wing libertarian head of government Javier Milei insulted Brazil’s President Lula and a judge in a nasty way. This now has rare consequences.
After the controversial appearance of the Argentine head of state Javier Milei in the nomination of the right-wing Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro Brazil recalled its ambassador in Buenos Aires for consultations. As the government in Brasília announced, the Argentine ambassador was also summoned to the Foreign Ministry. The diplomatic scandal is considered the most serious between the two South American neighboring countries in decades.
At the party conference of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL) the day before in Brazil, Milei sharply criticized the left-wing incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the country’s judiciary. Milei described Lula (80) as a “thief” and “inmate.” He also called for people to turn their backs on the “socialist scum” in Latin America.
“There is no precedent in which a foreign head of state has expressed attacks and insults on Brazilian territory against the head of state, democratic institutions – including the judiciary – and the Brazilian people,” the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said.
Milei insults judges as “bald-headed trash”
Brazil is the largest economics Latin America and Argentina’s most important trading partner. Incumbent Lula wants to run for re-election in October as the candidate of the left-wing workers’ party PT. His main challenger Flávio Bolsonaro (45) is the son of the right-wing ex-president who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for an attempted coup Jair Bolsonarowho is serving his sentence under house arrest for health reasons.
Milei is one of the most prominent representatives of the political right in Latin America. During his trip to Brazil, he intended to visit Jair Bolsonaro. However, judge Alexander de Moraes, who was known beyond Brazil’s borders, forbade him to do so. In his speech during Flávio Bolsonaro’s nomination, the Argentine president described the influential judge as “bald-headed trash.”
Argentina’s Ambassador Daniel Raimondi was summoned to express Brazil’s outrage at the insults and demand an explanation, the Foreign Ministry said. In diplomacy, recalling one’s own ambassador for consultations and summoning a foreign ambassador are strong signs of displeasure or protest towards the other government.
