No, Javier Milei isn't 'Far-Right'

The overuse of the term 'far-right' ends up legitimizing truly far-right thought by lumping it in with far broader, and far more normal, forms of conservative and libertarian thought.

Javier Milei, recently elected President of Argentina, describes himself as an anarcho-capitalist and a fan of Milton Friedman. Yet, to many media outlets, this limited government, free market fundamentalist is ‘far-right,’ the same descriptor they use for big government nationalists like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

It is time for the media to retire the phrase “far-right.” Essentially every political figure who is more conservative than Phil Scott will find themselves given that label at one point or another, and I am hardly exaggerating.

Individuals that media outlets have referred to as “far-right” include Javier Milei (an old-school libertarian), Vladimir Putin (a sociopath hellbent on re-establishing the old Soviet Union), Pierre Poilievre (a centrist- by U.S. standards), and Mike Johnson (an average Republican). Obviously, these four have very little in common ideologically, but all have been villains to left-liberal institutions.

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Someone like Javier Milei may be described as “far-right” by the media because he is an anarcho-capitalist. However, someone like Nayib Bukele has similarly been described as “far-right,” despite dramatically expanding the power of the state. The media wants to have it both ways: “far-right” as a term to describe authoritarianism, and “far-right” as a term to describe libertarianism.

So, does the right-left divide mean statism versus libertarianism? Liberalism versus illiberalism? Collectivism versus capitalism? The media does not want to define this dichotomy because the deliberate vagueness serves a purpose: to discredit conservatism as a whole. By amalgamating disparate ideologies under this single label, however, the media has reaped some unintended consequences.

Instead of discrediting conservatism, they have legitimized extremism. Overuse of the phrase makes people care less and less about “far-right” politicians, because if all conservatives are “far-right,” then none are. One disturbing reality, nevertheless, is that there truly does exist a base of radicals who actually believe in QAnon, actually listen to Nick Fuentes, and actually are hateful.

But if the media continues to apply this term indiscriminately, it will be increasingly difficult for voters to distinguish between normal conservatives and true extremists.

-Benjamin

The Daily Saucer is our place for freelance contributors and editorial staff to offer short takes on the news cycle, quick observations on the issues, and brief thoughts on broader topics. The views offered in this space strictly reflect only the personal views of the authors.