Transformation of Argentina’s Official Public Discourse under J. Milei’s Administration (2023–2025)

Abstract

Abstract. The article examines the official public discourse of Argentina under the administration of J. Milei between 2023 and 2025. J. Milei’s electoral victory was a result of a structural crisis, public exhaustion with traditional political elites, and polarization of the national electorate. Media exposure and an appealing political narrative were also important factors, which allow us to consider this case in terms of both political and socioeconomic aspects, as well as from the communication perspective. The research aims to identify the main vectors of transformation in the public discourse during the first half of Milei’s term as president (2023–2024). The complex of quantitative and qualitative methods, including topic modeling and content analysis with manual coding, allowed us to, first, identify latent semantic structures in the text corpus, and, second, carry out a more indepth analysis of the content of presidential office public communication and its thematic and strategic components. The author concludes that the official government discourse underwent a series of transformations during the period under review. Active campaigning and the promotion of the narrative of a system crisis gave way to a stabilization phase, which then transitioned into a mobilization phase leading up to national parliamentary elections. Overtly confrontational narratives against opposition forces have shifted towards institutional pragmatism and compromise with moderate opposition. The internal political mobilization typical of the early stages of Milei’s rule was gradually replaced by intensified efforts to construct a renewed Argentine foreign policy identity.