President Javier Milei led a talk titled "Keynes and the General Theory" at Palacio Libertad, alongside economists Juan Carlos de Pablo and Adrián Ravier. He defended his economic model and sharply criticized the work of the British economist. Milei highlighted the fiscal adjustment achieved in one month.
Deputy Adrián Ravier opened the talk with an overview of John Maynard Keynes' career, noting his 20th-century influence. He recalled debates with Friedrich Hayek and the 1936 publication of "The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money," which revolutionized economic thought.
Milei spoke next, calling Keynes "a genius of evil" whose work caused harm. He said the book broke traditional analysis of saving and investment based on interest rates, criticizing the consumption function and Keynesian multiplier as an "aberration" and "magic."
The president linked Keynes' ideas to the Great Depression and Britain's gold standard context. Keynes proposed public spending to fight unemployment instead of saving, Milei recounted.
Milei defended his record: "Nunca nadie arregló el quilombo fiscal salvo nosotros, que lo hicimos en un mes" – no one fixed the fiscal mess except us, in one month. He cited a 15% GDP imbalance, mostly at the Central Bank, and criticized European policies like the green agenda and immigration.