大型投資者翹首以盼特朗普的阿根廷救助計劃帶來意外之財（2/2）

Recently the New York Times reported the following:

Big Investors Await Windfall from Trump’s Argentina Bailout (2/2)

The United States finalized a $20 billion lifeline for Argentina that will benefit Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s allies.

The NYT - By Alan Rappeport and Maria Abi-Habib

Oct. 9, 2025

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It is unclear if Mr. Citrone played any role in convincing Mr. Bessent to prop up Argentina’s currency. But two people familiar with the deal said Mr. Citrone was in close contact with Mr. Bessent in the lead-up to the Treasury announcement last month, arguing that if Argentina’s currency crashed, so too would the political fortunes of Mr. Milei.

Mr. Citrone told Mr. Bessent that if Mr. Milei were to lose the upcoming elections, Argentina would pivot to China for more economic assistance, according to one of the people familiar with the contacts. Mr. Citrone also apparently told Mr. Bessent that such an outcome would mean the United States could lose one of its most steadfast Latin American allies.

A Treasury Department spokesman, Elliott Hulse, did not respond to requests for comment about Mr. Bessent’s conversations about Argentina with Mr. Druckenmiller or Mr. Citrone. A spokesman for Mr. Citrone declined to comment. Mr. Druckenmiller said that he had no communication with Mr. Bessent about Argentina before or after last month’s bailout announcement.

Argentine media reported earlier on Mr. Bessent’s ties to Mr. Citrone.

Mr. Milei’s party suffered a devastating loss in a key provincial election in September, and analysts are projecting that his party will face another disappointing result in legislative polls later this month. Such a loss would likely prevent Mr. Milei from continuing his pro-market, austerity-focused plans, which Mr. Trump’s administration has praised and, in many ways, replicated.

Some conservative observers were critical of Treasury’s plans to support Argentina, arguing that the deal could instead end up supporting the country’s leftist, pro-spending political opposition, which is likely to sweep polls later this month.

Mr. Citrone and leaders of the Conservative Political Action Conference, better known as CPAC, may have also been instrumental in lobbying both the International Monetary Fund and Mr. Bessent to bail out Argentina, according to the two people familiar with the agreement. In April, the I.M.F. shored up Argentina’s economy with its own $20 billion bailout agreement. The 48-month loan was Argentina’s 23rd such economic support package from the fund since the 1950s.

Just days after the I.M.F. deal was announced in April, Mr. Citrone flew down to Buenos Aires to meet with Mr. Milei on a plane owned by one of the leaders of Tactic Global, known as CPAC’s lobbying arm, according to an adviser to the Trump administration and Argentine media reports. The plane was owned by Leonardo Scatturice, one of the founders of Tactic, who has made a fortune off lucrative government contracts doled out by Mr. Milei’s government.

Mr. Citrone met with the Argentine president just hours before Mr. Bessent, who had flown separately to the country’s capital.

During that visit, Mr. Bessent announced the I.M.F. deal. Those funds are intended to help Argentina loosen its currency controls while maintaining the government’s plans to scale back subsidies and spending.

Last month, Mr. Bessent said the United States would provide more economic support to Argentina in the form of a $20 billion financial lifeline. The Treasury secretary added that Washington hoped the additional support would prevent Argentina from giving up mining rights to China. Argentina’s economy has largely been propped up over the years by an $18 billion currency swap provided by China.

The United States has not said if there will be any guardrails to protect taxpayer money. Mr. Bessent emphasized that the currency swap the government plans to offer Argentina does not amount to a bailout.

“We are not putting money into Argentina,” Mr. Bessent told CNBC.

The politics of supporting Argentina has become especially fraught in the United States because China has been buying soybeans from Argentine farmers instead of American growers this year. The fact that Argentina is the most frequent recipient of I.M.F. bailouts and also the institution’s largest debtor raises questions about whether it could ever repay the United States.

“They can call it what they want, but it’s a bailout,” said Monica de Bolle, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “It’s a country in crisis, it’s running out of dollars, and the U.S. is giving the country dollars. That’s a bailout by definition.”

In negotiations over the terms of a support package, U.S. officials have been pushing for Argentina to scale back ties with China and have been seeking access to its uranium and lithium supplies, according to a person familiar with the matter.

In Argentina, legislators and governors have more say in those contracts than Mr. Milei does, and the U.S. Treasury’s support for the Argentine president may not translate into more American companies securing mining rights.

Mr. Bessent said on Thursday that bolstering Argentina is a matter of national and economic security.

“The success of Argentina’s reform agenda is of systemic importance, and a strong, stable Argentina which helps anchor a prosperous Western Hemisphere is in the strategic interest of the United States,” Mr. Bessent said.

Translation

大型投資者翹首以盼特朗普的阿根廷救助計劃帶來意外之財（2/2）

美國敲定了一項200億美元的阿根廷紓困計劃，將惠及財政部長貝森特的盟友。

（繼續）

目前尚不清楚Citrone先生是否在說服貝森特先生支撐阿根廷貨幣方面發揮了任何作用。但兩位知情人士表示，在上個月財政部宣布這項消息之前，Citrone先生曾與貝森特先生保持密切聯繫，他認為，如果阿根廷貨幣暴跌，Milei先生的政治命運也將隨之崩盤。

據一位知情人士透露，Citrone先生告訴貝森特先生，如果Milei先生在即將到來的選舉中落敗，阿根廷將轉向中國尋求更多經濟援助。Citrone先生顯然也告訴貝森特先生，這樣的結果意味著美國可能會失去最堅定的拉丁美洲盟友之一。

財政部發言人Elliott Hulse 沒有回應就貝森特先生與Druckenmiller先生或Citrone先生就阿根廷問題進行的談話置評的請求。Citrone先生的發言人拒絕置評。Druckenmiller先生表示，在上個月救助計劃宣佈之前或之後，他都沒有與貝森特先生就阿根廷問題進行溝通。

阿根廷媒體早些時候報導了貝森特先生與Citrone先生的關係。

Milei先生的政黨在9月份一場關鍵的省級選舉中慘敗，分析師預測，他的政黨將在本月晚些時候的立法選舉中再次遭遇令人失望的結果。這樣的損失可能會阻止Milei先生繼續推行其親市場、以緊縮政策為重點的計劃，而特朗普政府對這些計劃表示讚賞，並在許多方面效仿了這些計劃。

一些保守派觀察家批評財政部支持阿根廷的計劃，認為這項協議最終反而可能會支持該國的左翼, 支持花費的政治反對派，而該反對派很可能在本月晚些時候的選舉中大獲全勝。

據兩位知情人士透露，Citrone先生和保守派政治行動會議（CPAC）的領導人可能也在遊說國際貨幣基金組織及貝森特先生去救助阿根廷方面發揮了重要作用。今年4月，國際貨幣基金組織透過其200億美元的紓困協議支撐了阿根廷經濟。這筆為期48個月的貸款是自1950年代以來該組織向阿根廷提供的第23筆此類經濟支持計劃。

根據特朗普政府的一位顧問和阿根廷媒體報道，在4月IMF協議宣布幾天后，Citrone先生就飛往布宜諾斯艾利斯與Milei先生會面。他搭乘的飛機屬於Tactic Global 的一位領導人。 Tactic Global是CPAC的遊說部門。這架飛機的主人是Tactic Global的創始人之一Leonardo Scatturice，他從Milei先生政府所分發出的豐厚政府合約中賺取了巨額財富。

Citrone先生會見阿根廷總統幾個小時前與貝森特先生會面，貝森特先生是單獨飛往阿根廷首都。

在那次訪問期間，貝森特先生宣佈了與國際貨幣基金組織的協議。這些資金旨在幫助阿根廷放鬆貨幣管制，同時維持政府削減補貼和支出的計劃。

上個月，貝森特先生表示，美國將以200億美元金融救助金的形式向阿根廷提供更多經濟支持。財政部長補充說，華盛頓希望額外的支持能阻止阿根廷把採礦權拱手讓給中國。多年來，阿根廷的經濟很大程度上由中國提供的180億美元貨幣互換協議所支撐。

美國尚未透露是否會採取任何措施來保護納稅人的錢。貝森特先生強調，政府計劃向阿根廷提供的貨幣互換協議不算是一個救助計劃。

貝森特先生告訴CNBC:「我們不會向阿根廷投入資金」。

在美國，支持阿根廷的政治立場變得特別緊張，因為今年中國一直在從阿根廷農民而不是美國種植者手中購買大豆。阿根廷是國際貨幣基金組織最頻密的救助計劃接受者，也是該機構最大的債務國，這引發了人們對阿根廷是否有能力償還美國債務的質疑。

彼得森國際經濟研究所高級研究員 Monica de Bolle 說: 「他們可以隨便叫它是什麼，這就是個救助計劃」; 「這是一個陷入危機的國家，美元即將耗盡，而美國正在向它提供美元。從定義上來說這是一次救助」。

據一位知情人士透露，在有關援助方案條款的談判中，美國官員一直在敦促阿根廷減少與中國的聯繫，及尋求得到鈾和鋰供應。

在阿根廷，立法者和州長在這些合約中比Milei先生擁有更大的發言權，而美國財政部支持阿根廷總統的立場可能不會轉化為更多美國公司獲得採礦權。

貝森特先生週四表示，支持阿根廷攸關國家和經濟安全。

貝森特先生說:「阿根廷改革議程的成功具有系統重要性，一個強大、穩定的阿根廷有助於鞏固繁榮的西半球，這符合美國的戰略利益」。

So, Argentina’s economy has largely been propped up over the years by a $18 billion currency swap provided by China and now the Trump administration is moving forward with its bailout of Argentina, making a direct purchase of pesos and finalizing terms of a $20 billion lifeline. The funds would come in the form of a currency swap with Argentina’s central bank. Washington hopes that the additional support would prevent Argentina from giving up mining rights to China. Apparently, the success of Argentina’s reform is important because a strong, stable Argentina is in the strategic interest to the United States.