Remarks by Trump's pick for ambassador spark a political storm in Argentina

Source: Associated Press

Remarks by Trump’s pick for ambassador spark a political storm in Argentina

By DÉBORA REY
Updated 4:45 PM EDT, July 23, 2025

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump’s choice for ambassador to Buenos Aires sparked a storm Wednesday over his remarks that Argentina’s powerful ex-president should face justice in cases in which she was never convicted and his pledges to use his posting as a bulwark against China.

Opposition politicians in Argentina accused Peter Lamelas, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to the second-biggest South American country, of violating diplomatic conventions, interfering in Argentine domestic affairs and meddling in judicial matters.

Argentine media went into fifth gear with their coverage of Lamelas. Lawmakers introduced a bill in Congress rejecting his remarks as “an unacceptable interference in matters of national sovereignty.” Trade unions planned a mass protest for Thursday outside the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires.

The Cuban-born Lamelas, a physician, founder of a chain of urgent care clinics in Florida and longtime Trump donor, would otherwise be stepping into the role at a time when the relationship between Argentina and the United States is at its strongest in recent memory.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/argentina-us-trump-milei-ambassador-politics-fernandez-ce329037fdc540fb56383a1dcbb78ff5