Argentina’s President Javier Milei cloned his late dog, but where’s the fifth one he claims to have?
Javier Milei, Argentina’s newly inaugurated president and former TV pundit known for his bold and often controversial policies, has left everyone in the dark when it comes to the mystery of his beloved English mastiffs.
Milei, whose campaigns on slashing public spending, dismantling the central bank, and replacing the Argentine peso with the US dollar, hasn’t strayed far from controversy during his tenure as president of Argentina. Yet, amid his push to reshape Argentina, a curious debate has emerged—this time, not about his political platform, which includes eliminating sex education in schools, restricting abortion access, and dismissing climate science as a socialist plot. Yes, you read that right by the way. Instead, it’s the 53-year-old’s personal life, particularly his connection with his dogs, that’s sparking a wider conversation about his mental health and the true state of his presidency.
According to The New York Times, Milei’s devotion to his “four-legged children” is well-known. Residing with him at Quinta de Olivos, the presidential residence near Buenos Aires, these dogs are more than just pets—they’re central to his personal narrative. However, there’s a puzzling mystery surrounding the exact number of these dogs.
For those unfamiliar, Milei adopted an English mastiff named Conan in 2004, who became his closest companion and confidant. Following Conan’s death in 2017, Milei paid $50,000 to PerPETuate, a US firm specialising in cloning, to recreate his beloved pet. Side note: if you’re interested in some seriously retro WorldWideWeb flashbacks, just click on the company’s website. The resulting clones, named Murray, Milton, Robert, and Lucas after prominent economists, were said to be Milei’s strategic advisors.
“My four-legged children,” Milei often refers to them, claiming that these dogs are “the best strategists.” But confusion arose when public images and official documents, including the presidential sceptre, showed only four dogs, while Milei insists there are five. This discrepancy has led to a whirlwind of speculation.
Argentine President Javier Milei took his oath using a Presidential Baton with Conan and his other 4 (cloned) dogs engraved in the top of it. pic.twitter.com/M92LYn0xu8
— Crazy Ass Moments in LatAm Politics (@AssLatam) December 11, 2023
During an interview with journalist Esteban Trebucq on the Argentinian news channel A24, things took an odd turn. Out of the blue, the producers projected a photo of the original Conan onto a giant screen. Milei’s attention was immediately captured. Lost in the image, he fixated and began murmuring, almost trance-like, “There’s Conan, that’s Conan, Conan…”
When Trebucq inquired, “How old is he?” Milei’s response defied all logic: “Whoa, Conan is so old I’ve lost count.”
In reality, Conan wasn’t actually “so old” at the time of the interview. Simple math reveals that Conan had been deceased since 2017—so six years before this encounter. Struggling to accept the death of his beloved dog, Milei, according to his therapist, opted for a drastic measure: he had Conan cloned.
As reported by journalist Juan Luis González in his biography about Milei, following Conan’s death, the Argentine visited a medium to communicate with his late pet in the afterlife. Milei said Conan relayed God’s mission for him to become president of Argentina.
At his political rallies, Milei held aloft pictures of his dogs, which he distributed to the crowd before picking up a chainsaw—his unsubtle metaphor for the spending cuts he promised to deliver.
Javier Milei, argentinian presidential candidate, uses a chainsaw as part of a campaign event to represent how he will cut the "political elite". pic.twitter.com/kI9xdunjs1
— Crazy Ass Moments in LatAm Politics (@AssLatam) September 17, 2023
According to Reuters, Milei paid PerPETuate $50,000 (£40,000) to perform the cloning. Usually reluctant to talk about his “grandchildren,” he has said: “What is it they say, my dogs determine my strategies, yes? That they’re like a strategic committee? They are the best strategic committee in the world.”
Other Argentine news outlets have reported that Milei seeks counsel from his dogs on matters of his campaign, policy, and more. In an August interview with Spanish newspaper 20minutos, González said that Milei “is convinced that the dogs advise him in different areas: one in politics, another in economics, another gives him general advice.” The journalist added that he is worried about such an “unstable leader” in an already “unstable” Argentina: “This man who would command the fate of the country wakes up each day, does medium sessions with the dogs, and then makes a decree based on that. It’s very shocking.”
Political rivals, including former president Alberto Fernández, have seized on the controversy to question Milei’s mental health, suggesting he may be suffering from a psychological disorder. Fernández addressed him on social media, stating, “You should know that my dog does not advise me (and he is alive) and that my actions are based on reflection, not psychological alterations.”
As of now, Milei, the mystery of the cloned dogs seems to serve as a metaphor for the broader uncertainties surrounding Milei’s presidency. Javier Milei’s relationship with his dogs, especially the cloning of his beloved Conan, is not just an eccentric footnote in his public life; it’s a revealing window into his psyche and political philosophy. The act of cloning his dog isn’t merely about preserving a cherished companion—it’s a manifestation of Milei’s deep-seated fear of loss, his obsession with control, and his relentless pursuit of an idealised, unchanging reality.
So how many dogs do you think Milei has?
