President Javier Milei headed the central ceremony for Argentina's Día de la Bandera on Saturday, June 20 [1].
By framing a historical figure through the lens of economic liberty, Milei is aligning Argentina's foundational symbols with his current administration's liberal agenda. This rhetorical shift seeks to ground modern policy in the country's revolutionary history.
The event took place at the Monumento Nacional a la Bandera in Rosario, located in the Santa Fe Province [2]. During the ceremony, Milei delivered a speech that redefined the role of Manuel Belgrano, the creator of the flag, as a pioneer of liberal thought.
"Belgrano fue el primer liberal," Milei said [3]. He said the historical figure was the first liberal economic intellectual [4].
Milei argued that the physical act of creating the national flag served as more than just a military or administrative necessity. He said the creation of the national emblem was the visible representation of the cause of liberty [5].
The president used the commemoration to highlight Belgrano's role as a promoter of both political and economic freedom [6]. By doing so, he connected the 19th-century struggle for independence with his own political framework of limited government, and free markets.
This appearance in Rosario marks a significant moment in the annual national calendar, where the state honors the legacy of Belgrano and the symbol of the Argentine nation [2].
“"Belgrano fue el primer liberal."”
Milei's decision to label Manuel Belgrano as the 'first liberal' is an attempt to provide historical legitimacy to his libertarian platform. By claiming that the national flag itself represents economic and political liberty, he is attempting to merge national identity with a specific ideological school of thought, effectively rebranding Argentine patriotism as synonymous with liberal economics.
