The afternoon at the Casa Rosada Palace was presented as a carefully staged scene to show an act of culture, diplomacy and some spectacle. The Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, on tour in Buenos Aires, was received by President Javier Milei in the White Room of the government palace, who presented him with the May Order of Merit, one of the most relevant distinctions that Argentina grants to outstanding cultural figures.
Bocelli himself, visibly moved, declared: “I live this moment as if it were a dream… I never imagined that one day I would receive recognition like this.” During the ceremony, there were moments of formal coexistence and also of a certain improvisation: they talked in a relaxed manner, Bocelli played the tango “Por una Cabeza” on the piano and then sang “Bésame mucho”.
It was precisely in that context that the gesture that quickly circulated on networks occurred: Milei, with a cordial gesture, extended his hand to greet Bocelli. Until then, everything is normal. But what caught the attention was the post-act surprise: the Italian did not respond with the usual squeeze, and the tenor did not reciprocate the gesture due to his condition of complete blindness from an early age. The President noticed right away and took his hand, and then there was a shake.
Some interpreted that the way of greeting him should have been different, for example, verbally offering his hand, gently guiding him towards the shake, or simply bowing as a sign of respect. The scene went viral not so much because of the pomp of the event, but because of the communication failure that showed a disconnection between the protocol script and the reality of the guest.
Even so, the moment did not lead to a scandal. In fact, Bocelli continued with the agenda without showing public discomfort, and the event continued its course. But the video – recorded by one of the attendees and uploaded to networks – clearly shows Milei with his arm extended, Bocelli with his hand slightly raised without finding the grip, and a brief moment of hesitation before he moved on to the next point of the program.
