A columnist in Argentina has pointed out similarities between President Javier Milei's address to the UN General Assembly last month and the rhetoric of US President Jed Bartlet, who was politically inspiring but not real. Carlos Pagni wrote about the matter Thursday in the daily newspaper La Nacion. Milei included text reflecting his libertarian views and used altered wording in spots during his speech, the Hill reports, but followed the basic structure employed by Martin Sheen's character in NBC's The West Wing. "Didn't anyone else notice?" Pagni wrote, per the Guardian, which compares passages:
- Milei told the UN on Sept. 24: "We believe in defending everyone's lives. We believe in defending everyone's property. We believe in freedom of speech for everybody. We believe in freedom to worship for everybody. We believe in freedom of trade for everybody. … And because in these times what happens in one country quickly has an impact in others, we believe all people should live free from tyranny and oppression, whether in the form of political oppression, economic slavery or religious fanaticism. This fundamental idea must not be mere words—it has to be supported by deeds: diplomatically, economically and materially."
- Bartlet told his White House staff in Season 4, Episode 15: "We're for freedom of speech everywhere. We're for freedom to worship everywhere. We're for freedom to learn … for everybody. And because in our time, you can build a bomb in your country and bring it to my country, what goes on in your country is very much my business. And so we are for freedom from tyranny, everywhere, whether in the guise of political oppression … or economic slavery … or religious fanaticism … That most fundamental idea cannot be met with merely our support. It has to be met with our strength: diplomatically, economically, materially."
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"It seems like fiction, but it isn't," the left-leaning Buenos Aires newspaper Página 12 said on Friday in arguing that Milei copied the show's script. The words of Bartlet, whose second TV term ended in January 2007, occasionally resurface in real politicians' speeches. In 2020, a reporter recognized phrasing by Labor politician Will Fowles, per the Guardian. The reporter said Fowles admitted to "an unconscious homage" to West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, calling him "one of the greatest political speechwriters we have ever seen." (More Javier Milei stories.)
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