Argentina President Javier Milei will meet with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday in a meeting that could discuss Tesla’s strategic partnership with Argentina and other important issues.
Milei will be in New York to attend the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, his spokesperson Manuel Adorni said in a press conference on Friday. Tuesday will be Milei’s first appearance at the UN General Assembly as president since taking office in December 2023.
Musk and the president already met earlier this year in Texas. After that meeting, a spokesman for the president said Milei and Musk “agreed on the need to free markets and defend the ideas of freedom,” as well as the importance of removing bureaucratic barriers to business. The president also offered to ally with Musk in a legal battle in Brazil, which is especially important now that tensions between the Tesla CEO, his social media platform X, and Brazil are running high.
The meeting between the two leaders took place at Tesla’s factory, Giga Texas, where Milei rode in Cybertruck and discussed potential strategic collaboration with the company in the field of lithium. Argentina has huge deposits of lithium, which is a key component in the production of batteries for electric vehicles.
“We talked about the investment opportunities in Argentina in lithium… We’re very committed not only to exporting raw materials but also to adding value,” Argentina’s incoming ambassador to the US, Gerardo Werthein, said in comments published by the Argentine newspaper La Nacion.
“[Musk] said he wants to help Argentina,” he added.
Musk expressed his admiration for Milei’s support for private enterprise and the president’s disdain for what he sees as socialist excesses. The new meeting hints at an even warmer relationship between Musk and Milei, which could have a major positive impact on Tesla’s development.
The Argentine leader’s trip will also include meetings with Ecuadorian President Daniel Naboa, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Google’s head of government affairs and public policy, Karen Bhatia.
