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Donald Trump's Bailout Of Argentina Draws GOP Criticism

WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump’s bailout of Argentina is not going over well with some members of his party, including conservatives and MAGA-type Republicans.

“It’s not my favorite,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.), a GOP populist who has echoed Trump’s arguments against U.S. entanglements abroad. “My gut instinct is to be a little wary,” he added in a Wednesday interview.

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“I am against bailing out any countries,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). “We have a big debt problem in our country. So if we had an extra $20 billion laying around, we should put it towards our own debt.”

Farm state Republicans ― including Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota ― have also raised concerns about the U.S. providing financial aid to a country that immediately turned around and sold its soybean crops to China, undercutting U.S. farmers who are hurting from Trump’s tariffs.

“When you’re an America First administration, talking America First all the time, and then give $20 billion to Argentina, who then turns around and sells to your market and undercuts it ― the brand gets damaged a little,” Cramer told Punchbowl News.

On the other side of the Capitol, MAGA stalwart Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) suggested the Trump administration ought to be focusing on the high costs of health care rather than bailing out a foreign government.

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“Americans are getting decimated with high cost of living and skyrocketing insurance costs. Many of them have zero savings and some are maxing out credit cards to survive,” Greene wrote in a social media post. “Tell me how it’s America First to bailout a foreign country with $20 or even $40 BILLION taxpayer dollars.”

The Trump administration provided a $20 billion currency swap to Argentina’s central bank, allowing it to exchange its local currency for the U.S. dollar, in a move aimed at stabilizing the country’s economic markets. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that the administration is working on an additional $20 billion in aid for Argentina, funded by private banks and sovereign wealth funds.

Trump has said the assistance is meant to bolster his close ally, Argentinian President Javier Milei, and that it will be directly linked to the results of Argentina’s election later this month.

Democrats have ripped into Trump over the decision to bail out Argentina, accusing him of throwing out the “America First” principles he has long touted to deny aid to other countries abroad.

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“For Trump, the leader of Argentina is more important than American families struggling with rising costs for health care,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Although most Republicans have kept quiet about the bailout, some have defended Trump’s decision.

“I think America First is not isolationism,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told HuffPost. “America First is trying to have alliances that America benefits from and helping people that behave in a way that is helpful to our interest. People think America First is America alone. It’s not.”