Argentina’s media takes aim at Milei’s craziest side

“When the six clones of his dog Conan arrived from the United States they were just a group of cute puppies. He named them after his favorite liberal economists: Murray (for Rothbard), Milton (for Friedman), Robert, and Lucas (for Robert Lucas), as well as Conan, who replaced the homonymous original.

There was also a sixth dog, who died shortly after. Cloned animals are more susceptible to illness and thus have a shorter life expectancy. In Milei’s case, this led to an unexpected outcome. The dead puppy (‘little angel,’ as he called him), together with the late Conan, would open a ‘channel of light’ that allowed him to ‘communicate with the One,’ [Milei’s way to refer to God].”

The above is a fragment of “El Loco” (The Madman), a recently published book about Argentina’s Javier Milei, the libertarian economist-turned-TV star-turned-presidential candidate. It is also part of a broader exposé of Mr. Milei’s darker side, which has been coming to light after years of media favoritism.

The book describes Mr. Milei in a way reminiscent of Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker: an eccentric and socially isolated 50-year-old with few friends, no known love interests, and on non-speaking terms with his parents, who channeled his frustration into a puzzling but popular public persona that took aim at some of his country’s systemic failures. 

Its author, journalist Juan González, says he went into Mr. Milei’s private life only insofar as it helped understand his public actions. But the trip still goes pretty deep, showing an esoteric decision-making process that brings memories of Rasputin or José López Rega. 

His book argues that a few factors helped keep Mr. Milei’s life together despite a difficult upbringing: his sister Karina, his giant English mastiff dog Conan, and a well-paid job as an economic consultant in one of Argentina’s largest firms.

But that dynamic changed with the news that Conan was dying, leading to his decision to contact U.S.-based companies...