Sturzenegger's Presence at the Political Table Two Weeks Ago Made That Reproach Visible

President Javier Milei is increasingly struggling to balance internal power struggles within his own government, with constant tugs-of-war between key figures — especially his sister Karina — forcing him to make permanent shifts to protect officials and keep them in his ecosystem. Last week he reappeared with three explosive speeches containing strong statements that opened new fronts of tension against allies, economists, media and journalists, while also confronting each other and eroding the coherence of his narrative. The least-noticed contradiction revolved around Thursday's backing of Federico Sturzenegger, which left part of his own troops offside.

His inner circle had spread word that after the failure of the Private Property Inviolability Law and the noise generated by the new Pilotage Regime, the President was deeply upset with his Deregulation Minister — not for questioning his spirit of freeing up regulations, but for acting as a free radical without politically coordinating with Karina to advance his area's measures. Sturzenegger's presence at the political table two weeks ago made that reproach visible. The head of state endorsed the call by the general secretary of the Presidency, and the minister had no choice but to align and detail the topics he would work on going forward.

It was agreed there that some of his initiatives would be left for another time and that everything would previously pass through that meeting. Despite surrendering, he continued to be the object of internal reproaches. That is why Milei used the criticisms that remained in the public discussion — not only from Kirchnerism but also from political allies and journalists he frames within that 95 percent he fights — to shield Sturzenegger.

"The reality is that when you see a piece of s***, a human piece of s***, criticizing Federico, it's because they're touching a business of a beneficiary, a thief and a corrupt person, he defended him at the Council of the Americas. In his circle, the same people who days earlier acknowledged that Milei had threatened to "kick him out" if he didn't align with his sister, interpreted to Clarín that the abrupt turnaround was a strategy to protect from friendly fire someone who is even participating in his book "La moral como política de Estado, soon to be released. "Javier almost always agrees with Sturze (sic) in the spirit of what he wants to do, that's why he endorses him in everything, but the difference is that to move forward he wants everything defined with Karina, who is the political architect and measures the times.

And maybe that's what made him angry. Once that's resolved, he believes there's no reason for them to keep attacking him. The concept includes "El Jefe, who — it is known — does not have the deregulating minister among his favorites.

It is curious because it also happens to other leaders who have a one-on-one link with Milei and do not pass through the filter of the "hermanísima. Santiago Caputo and Patricia Bullrich are the most evident cases. The former, as journalist Manuel Jove revealed, was the author of last Monday's speech in which Milei remembered General San Martín.

Limited to specific requests from the President and away from the minute-by-minute communication, now managed by the Karinists Santiago Oría and Lilia Lemoine, the advisor included in the text a firm defense of the economic course but also a message to try to empathize with sectors close to the government that still cannot see signs of recovery in the plan. It was a phrase later reflected on the front pages of newspapers and showed a different government stance amid the debate over millions in debt. In the speech prepared with Caputo, Milei showed himself aware of the risks his project faces: "Freedom to survive requires a prosperous and thriving people, because the attempts of the tyrants of the moment to stifle the flame of freedom always rely on discontent and poverty to break order. Because, if freedom does not show its fruits, which are well-being and economic prosperity, citizens forget its value.