Trust in Milei government drops for sixth consecutive month
Argentines’ trust in the government fell for the sixth consecutive month in May, dropping by 1.6% from April and 18.7% year-on-year, according to an index compiled by the Torcuato Di Tella University.
The cumulative decline so far in 2026 stands at 19%, amid a series of corruption scandals involving senior officials, particularly illicit enrichment allegations against Chief of Staff Manuel Adorni.
The index, compiled monthly by the University’s School of Government, is measured on a scale of 0 to 5 based on public opinion surveys.
In May, it stood at 1.99 points, the second lowest score since the start of Javier Milei’s government in December 2023.
This brought the president’s overall average trust score since he took office to 2.41 points, the lowest in the series, although the index has “remained relatively high during Javier Milei’s presidency,” the university’s report stated.
Scandals
The lowest level of trust remains September 2025, when the index stood at 1.94 points after a scandal involving alleged ties between then-libertarian candidate José Luis Espert and businessman Fred Machado — who was under investigation for drug trafficking in the United States — forced Espert to withdraw from the legislative race.
The sharpest decline in trust over the past six months came in April, when the index fell by 12%, coinciding with the peak of the allegations against Manuel Adorni.
The chief of staff has faced scrutiny since March, when reports revealed he had purchased two luxury properties since joining the administration as presidential spokesperson in December 2023 that were not included in his asset declarations. He also came under fire for several costly trips allegedly paid for in cash and U.S. dollars.
In addition to the allegations against Adorni and Espert, the government also faced serious turmoil when Milei’s sister, Presidency Secretary Karina Milei, was accused of spearheading a bribery scheme within the now-extinct National Disability Agency, involving supposed large illegal payments in exchange for providing state contracts to pharma and medical companies. The judicial investigation continues.
The government regained some of the trust it had lost after winning the 2025 legislative elections, but the Adorni scandal in March, in addition to worsening living conditions, appear to have reverted the situation.
The index
In May, three of the five categories taken into account to calculate the trust index suffered a decrease: the government’s capability (-5.6%) — the lowest for the current administration — concern about the country’s general well-being (-2.5%), and honesty (-1.6%).
However, the segments regarding a general evaluation of the government, as well as efficiency, went up by 3% and 0.5% respectively.
If divided by gender, the overall trust figure marked a new decrease among women, but was higher than last month among men, and also among people above the age of 50.
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المصدر: Buenos Aires Herald