The experienced journalist Chiche Gelblung revealed in an interview with Pedro Rosenblat on the Gelatina program that his last one-on-one with President Javier Milei ended abruptly: “The last interview was very tense, very hard, and the next day he told me ‘we are never going to talk again.’”
According to Gelblung, the trigger was his style of questioning without concessions: “Because I was not submissive with the things he said. I argued with him.” In particular, the driver claims to have asked him about basic topics such as “how much does a liter of milk cost?” or “how much does a bus cost?”, with the aim of demonstrating “the degree of ignorance of politicians about the reality of the people.”
The conflict broke out when Gelblung addressed the issue of retirees, which – according to his own version – bothered the president. In this way, Gelblung went from interviewer to person with whom Milei decided to cut off communication.
At a time when Argentine politics is experiencing deep polarization, this episode once again puts on the table the role of journalism that is uncomfortable in the face of power, and the decision of a head of state to close ranks against those who do not compromise.
Gelblung defined it as part of the communication phenomenon of the current president: “If you make him uncomfortable, he will stop talking to you.” For him, current politics—and especially government communication—is built on a system of rewards and punishments for media and journalists according to their level of alignment.
Milei’s final decision, according to his story, left him off the list of journalists whom the president considers reliable. But Gelblung has no regrets: “It’s okay, I’ve been doing this for many years,” he said.
