Milei Calls Spain's PM Sánchez a Dictator During Madrid Visit, Draws Rebuke
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In brief
Argentine President Javier Milei called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez a dictator and a thief during a speech in Madrid on October 21, 2026, and urged Spanish voters to remove the Socialist government in the November 29 election. Milei avoided any meeting with Sánchez; Spain's government called the comments insulting and asked that the prime minister be treated with respect.
Argentine President Javier Milei used a business-forum speech in Madrid on October 21, 2026, to launch a series of personal attacks on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, calling him a dictator and a thief and urging Spaniards to vote the Socialists out of office.
What Milei said
Speaking at an event organized by the Nueva Economía Fórum, Milei described Sánchez as a disgraceful dictator and urged the audience to remove the Socialists from power, calling Spain the cradle of liberalism, according to Arab News and Naharnet.
You are suffering under the disgraceful dictator Pedro Sanchez. Kick the Socialists out, because you are the cradle of liberalism.
— Javier Milei, Argentine president, in Madrid on October 21, 2026
Italian news agency ANSA reported that Milei also said he would not meet someone he described as a thieving criminal, referring to Sánchez. Arab News and Naharnet reported that Milei additionally described Sánchez as corrupt, pointing to corruption investigations involving relatives of the prime minister and former officials of his party, without citing specific allegations. Euronews reported that Milei also accused Sánchez of encouraging migration for electoral gain and linked the Spanish leader's policies to Argentina's own economic difficulties.
No meeting with Sánchez
According to ANSA, this was Milei's seventh visit to Spain since taking office, and he deliberately avoided any official meeting with the Spanish government. Instead, he met with figures from the right-wing Vox party, including its leader Santiago Abascal, and with Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the regional president of Madrid for the conservative Partido Popular (PP), according to Naharnet and Arab News. Euronews noted that Milei did not meet with Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the national leader of the PP.
Spain's response
ANSA reported that Spain's Foreign Ministry condemned Milei's remarks with utmost firmness, describing them as insulting and slanderous toward the prime minister, Spain and the Spanish people, and saying they included an appeal to violence. The ministry said it was inappropriate for a foreign leader to visit Spain while promoting political polarization, according to ANSA. Separately, government spokeswoman Elma Saiz asked that the prime minister be treated with respect, Arab News and Naharnet reported.
Sánchez responded publicly by defending his left-wing record. According to Euronews, he described himself as a proud leftist, citing pension increases, minimum-wage rises and abortion rights among his government's policies, and framed the upcoming election as a defense against what he called ultra-right forces. His Socialist party displayed banners welcoming left-wing supporters to Spain, Euronews reported.
A repeat of a 2024 diplomatic rupture
This is not the first clash between the two leaders. ANSA and Naharnet both reported that in May 2024, Milei described Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, as corrupt, prompting Madrid to recall its ambassador to Argentina for several months. Relations between the two governments had remained cold since that episode, according to ANSA.
Spain's election context
Euronews reported that Spain is due to hold a general election on November 29, 2026, with the conservative PP leading in opinion polls. Milei's visit, days before the vote, inserted him directly into the campaign; Arab News reported that Milei urged Spaniards to support Vox and the PP.
Milei–Sánchez clashes
Date
Event
Spanish government response
May 2024
Milei describes Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, as corrupt
Madrid recalls its ambassador to Argentina for months
October 21, 2026
Milei calls Sánchez a dictator and a thief in Madrid speech
Foreign Ministry condemns remarks with utmost firmness; spokeswoman asks that the PM be treated with respect
Questions
Did Javier Milei and Pedro Sánchez meet during the Madrid visit?
No. According to ANSA, Milei deliberately avoided any official meeting with Sánchez's government during his seventh visit to Spain, meeting instead with Vox and PP regional figures.
What exactly did Milei call Sánchez?
Milei described Sánchez as a disgraceful dictator and a thieving criminal, and separately called him corrupt, according to ANSA, Arab News and Naharnet.
How did Spain's government react?
Spain's Foreign Ministry condemned the remarks with utmost firmness as insulting and slanderous, per ANSA, while government spokeswoman Elma Saiz asked that the prime minister be treated with respect, according to Arab News and Naharnet.
Is this the first conflict between Milei and Sánchez?
No. In May 2024 Milei described Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez, as corrupt, leading Madrid to recall its ambassador to Argentina for months, according to ANSA and Naharnet.
Why did Milei make these comments now?
The remarks came five weeks before Spain's November 29, 2026 general election, in which the conservative PP leads in polls; Milei used the visit to urge Spaniards to vote out the Socialists, according to Euronews and Arab News.
How the world is telling it
ItalianANSA framed the episode primarily as a diplomatic incident, emphasizing Milei's refusal to meet Sánchez's government, the Spanish Foreign Ministry's formal condemnation, and the continuity with the 2024 rupture over Begoña Gómez.
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