She was at his side every moment of the presidential campaign.
When it was announced in November that Javier Milei had won a stunning secondround victory over Sergio Massa, she and his sister Karina were the ones who introduced him to a crowd eagerly awaiting his first speech as presidentelect.
Visibly moved, she hugged her brother and both greeted the audience from the stage, where supporters chanted “freedom, freedom, freedom.” True to her reserve, she didn't say much more. Little is known about his life and it is difficult to gain access to it.
But those who know Milei say she is the “great architect” behind the antisystem libertarian project. She is his most important strategist, advisor and the central figure in his political group La Libertad Avanza.
Javier Milei calls his sister “The Boss” (male) and has repeated several times that “without her none of this would exist”. Below you can see three facts about her.
Getty Images Karina Milei is the presidentelect's younger sister
1. The “architect” of the Milei phenomenon
Karina Milei is the libertarian economist's only sister. She is two and a half years younger than him (she is 50 and he is 53).
They grew up in a middleclass family in the Villa Devoto neighborhood of the city of Buenos Aires.
His father Norberto was a bus driver and his mother Alicia was a housewife. They attended primary and secondary school at the Instituto Cardenal Copello, a Catholic educational institution, and they had a very close relationship since childhood.
Their lives became intertwined in a professional setting more than a decade ago when she decided to work with him as an economist during his lectures.
For almost three years, Karina Milei has devoted herself entirely to her brother's political career and to strengthening La Libertad Avanza, the coalition founded in 2021 that brought Javier Milei to power.
According to Juan Luis González, journalist and author of El Loco, la vida disconocida de Javier Milei y su irrupción en la politica Argentina (The Fool, the unknown life of Javier MJilei and his incursion into Argentine politics), she is the one behind it Most decisions are made by the elected president.
“In every other party, the issues that Karina monopolizes are divided among seven or eight people. The agenda, the alliances, who the journalist Milei talks to and who she doesn't, who enters the bunker, who has access to Javier Milei's privacy and “who doesn't exist,” he told BBC Mundo. “She has the final say,” he adds.
Javier Milei himself admitted that he was “accountable” to his sister. And in one of her rare public appearances, she said he is “very hardworking and obedient.”
Karina Milei is also the mentor of ideas considered successful among the next president's supporters, such as the lottery for the salary he received as deputy or the public economics courses that toured the country.
“Karina is very important to him, she is the one who supports, guides and encourages him. And she tells him what to do,” explains Argentine political scientist José Natanson, author of Por qué? The rapid death throes of Kirchnerist Argentina and the brutal efficiency of a new right (Why? The rapid death throes of Kirchnerist Argentina and the brutal efficiency of the right wing). But before all this happened, Karina Milei was a person outside of politics.
Getty Images “The only fundamental person is my sister. 99% is their work. Without them this wouldn’t exist,” said Javier Milei
After graduating from the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE) with a degree in public relations, she devoted herself to her business (she had a tire repair shop and a pastry shop) and art.
“Karina Milei’s growth is impressive. Two years and eight months ago, she had never been involved in politics. Today she tells everyone: If you want to be part of this space, you already know who to call,” says Juan Luis González.
2. Your childhood protector
For analysts, the crucial role that Karina Milei plays in her brother's life and political career today can be partly explained by her supportive role in the past. Javier Milei has already publicly stated that he had a very difficult childhood and adolescence and that his sister's company was crucial during that time.
She always supported him and was his biggest fan when he was a goalkeeper at Club Atlético Chacarita Juniors, in the second division of Argentine football.
In addition, Karina was instrumental in the presidentelect's troubled relationship with his parents, whom he heavily criticized, claiming they suffered physical and psychological abuse.
In an interview with journalist Agustín Gallardo five years ago, Milei recalled that at the age of 11 he had expressed to his father that he was opposed to the decision of the government of Leopoldo Galtieri to announce the landing of Argentine troops in the Malvinas/Falkland Islands , think good was “delusional.” under British control.
Portal Karina Milei is finalizing the details for the presentation of Javier Milei's book “The End of Inflation” at the Buenos Aires International Book Fair in May this year
“My father went into a rage. He started hitting me with punches and kicks. He continued to kick me all over the kitchen,” Milei said.
“When I grew up, he stopped hitting me as a means of psychological violence,” he said. “He always told me I was trash, I was starving, I was useless.”
Between 2010 and 2020, Javier Milei broke ties with his parents and, according to journalist Juan Luis González, it was Karina who managed to reconcile them before the pandemic.
“Milei has a very complex life, with an abusive father, a cruel mother, no friends… the only person who has been by his side throughout his life is Karina Milei,” explains González.
Political scientist José Natanson has a similar view: “Javier Milei is a guy who is very alone, with a very small social circle, he had a difficult private life. And his sister always accompanied him.”
The libertarian economist did not hide his admiration for her and repeatedly stated that “she is the most wonderful person on the planet.”
What's more, the presidentelect compared the bond that binds them to that of Judaism's most important prophet, Moses, and his brother Aaron: “Moses was a great leader, but not a great communicator. God sent Aaron to communicate.” I am to Kari what Aaron was to Moses.
“I hit the jackpot with Kari. She is the protector. She is largely responsible for this. I am the communicator,” he said in a statement to Crónica TV.
3. Unobtrusive profile
Although she is considered the “soul” of the libertarian project, it is quite difficult to know what Karina Milei really thinks.
The “Lion” sister as her followers call her because of her mane rarely gives interviews or mostly speaks at public events.
Getty Images Karina Milei is often at her brother's side during his public appearances
He also does not interact with journalists and has a limited inner circle. One of the few places where he made statements was in the documentary film Javier Milei, the Liberal Revolution.
In it, the sister presents some ideas that were fundamental to the presidentelect's campaign. These include his weariness with traditional politics and his fight against “caste”.
“They don't think about people, I think they only think about themselves. I don't see that they have empathy for people. Because they really don’t care,” she says in the film.
She also states that she “admires” her brother and that the more they criticize him, the stronger he becomes. “
I don't know if many people know, but Javier is one of the best students at the university (…). I admire my brother. What people see in Javier is that he is real,” he emphasizes.
Javier Milei said that as children she was an extrovert and he was an introvert, but now they “swap roles.” According to Juan Luis González, his reticence is also due to the fact that “he is not a person very connected to the rest of the political space; he keeps his distance.”
“She is the great unknown and deserves a book more than Javier Milei,” the journalist told BBC Mundo.
The question now is what role Karina Milei will play in her brother's presidency. The presidentelect expressed the idea that she could take on the role of first lady. However, for Juan Luis González, she does not need a position “to continue to be the most important person in Javier Milei’s life”.