Javier Milei’s relationship with public opinion metrics is going through its most critical moment. While the Executive maintains its exclusive focus on macroeconomic variables, surveys by various consulting firms begin to register a erosion in the social consensus that accompanied the Government in its first months. This divergence between the official story and the poll numbers has provoked a virulent reaction from the president.
The trigger for this new conflict was the dissemination of reports indicating that the rejection of the national management now exceeds 50%. Given the publication of this data, Milei chose to move the discussion to the field of personal disqualification through its social networks, directly targeting professionals in the sector:
“THREE CRIMINALS FOR HIRE. One a rabid PeruKa, the other left-handed… obviously, always with biased questions to satisfy the illiberal appetite… The journalist who appeared divulging another great 50-year-old operator. He surely longs to give Golperto a guitar. CIAO!”
One of the recipients of this criticism was Shila Vilker, director of the consulting firm Trespuntozero. The political analyst, whose firm was behind some of the measurements that bothered the Government, responded to the grievances with a technical look at the nature of the bond between society and its representatives:
“The president is angry with the public opinion numbers we have. I understand it, throughout my career I have seen many politicians get angry when preference is retracted. It is part of the oscillations of the political bond. Public opinion changes, it does not last forever. Today they are in a difficult moment. They have been in happier moments. But the ceremonies of degradation of the pollster and/or the journalist hardly change social perception”Vilker said.
The background of the numbers
The presidential unrest is explained by the coincidence of several reports that show a change in trend. According to recently published data, Milei’s negative image stands at 51%, with 50% of the population actively questioning his leadership style. Added to this is a sensitive fact for the ruling party: a majority sector of society expresses the desire for political alternatives that are not linked to the traditional parties or the current structure.
The stagnation of economic activity is also beginning to take its toll. While inflation shows signs of slowing down, growth is not coming and rejection of official policies is consolidated in sectors that were previously expectant. According to opinion polls, more than 60% of those consulted affirm that today they would not electorally support the La Libertad Avanza project.
The intersection between Milei and the pollsters reveals a recurring tension in Argentine politics: the difficulty of governments in processing reality data when it does not coincide with their own expectations. In this scenario, the presidential strategy seems to focus on discrediting the messenger, while social indicators set a limit on the official narrative.
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