The President Javier Milei He gathered his cabinet to have a dinner and take stock of the year that was coming to an end, which was anything but easy for his government, although a Current report from the opinion research institute UBA on the President’s approval He threw in a curiosity about the end of 2025, which the libertarian leader could celebrate because it puts him on a par with the American Donald Trumphis most admired ally.
Strictly speaking, it is a report from Press UBAthe University of Buenos Aires Observatory on public opinion, which this month held a “Annual balance of presidential approvalwith the focus not only on the levels achieved, but also on the progression trajectories”, based on a proprietary database of studies on this topic South America, North America and Europe.
One of the key pieces of data the study found was the president’s average approval rating Between March and October of this year, Milei linked up with Trump in third place in the rankings, behind Claudia Sheinbaum (Mexico) and Daniel Noboa (Ecuador). Neither of them (neither the Argentine nor the American) exceeded 50%, but they were together on the podium of the best rated.
But if that wasn’t enough, Analyzing the evolution of this index over the course of 2025 and comparing Milei’s case with that of Trump, the work showed that the libertarian leader ended the year with an approval rating four points higher than his counterpart from the United Stateswho caused a stir in his country’s domestic politics precisely because of the strong financial support he gave the Argentine.
The curiosity of the survey: the common path of Javier Milei and Donald Trump among the presidents
Pulsar UBA’s work analyzed the level of presidential approval 16 executives from South America, North America and Europe. The aim of the study was not to compare popularity, but rather to analyze what happens to leadership “in a scenario characterized by strained economies, more sophisticated voters and fragmented political systems.” The report found that governments “showed one constant: the Difficulty maintaining social support over time“.
“Today, presidential approval appears to be more of an ephemeral, defensive and useful resource than a guarantee of sustainability over time. A present characterized by fluidity rather than solidity. The track record through which this report passes shows a year of sustained attrition rather than abrupt turns,” the work accessed added iProfessional.
The report showed that Milei began the year at the podium of the president’s approval list
However, the results are still curious. This was initially shown by the report Milei started the year in January with an approval rating of 50%, placing him in third place with Luis Montenegro (Portugal), behind Sheinbaum with 80% and Luis Lacalle Pou (who was already on the verge of exit after the Uruguay elections) with 58%..
Until then, Trump (who officially took office on January 20) got 41% and was below Noboa and Lula Da Silva (Brazil). However, this order changed over the months: The Argentine went down and the American rose until they were neck and neck..
Milei fell a little and Trump rose, a neck-and-neck race over the course of the year
Thus, on average, presidential approval Between March and October 2025, Milei and Trump were tied at 45%in third place in the ranking behind the Mexican Sheinbaum with 75% and the Ecuadorian Noboa with 51%.
With what agreement did Milei and Trump arrive at the end of 2025?: The surprise of the report
But the most striking data came from analyzing the trajectory of this presidential endorsement in 2025 and how Milei and Trump got there in late November. The report compared them in this regard and The Argentine performed better although both have a common feature: relatively stable support throughout the year, but with caps that are difficult to break.
In January, having just begun his second non-consecutive term, Trump had an approval rating of 52%, while Milei was around 47%, according to the Pulsar UBA report. In November, after several months of minor fluctuations, the president and leader of La Libertad Avanza returned to 47%, while his US counterpart reached 43%.
In addition, the approval of Milei rebounded significantly from a low of 41% in September and the study shows an upward trend. On the other hand, that of Trump remained stable in the same period, although it showed a sharp decline compared to 52% at the start of the year.
When November came, Milei showed higher approval than Trump and a slightly more favorable trend
The UBA Observatory found that with leaderships like Milei in Argentina and Trump in the United States, presidential approval in 2025 followed a “broadly flat trajectory” with “limited fluctuations,” explaining: “It’s about…” Governments that managed to maintain a support floor but encountered structural difficulties in extending it. “They remain in the middle of the table: they are not fighting for the championship, but they are not sinking either.”
“The comparison between Trump and Milei is illustrative as both show stability through 2025 without the capacity for expansion.” Political polarization acts as an anchor that prevents abrupt declines, but also limits growth opportunities. The result is a stable and limited permit,” the report said.
Presidential approval in South America, against Europe and North America, with an information for Milei
Another salient point of the report is that Comparison between regions. During 2025, presidential approval will take place in South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay). was higher than in Europe (Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Portugal and the United Kingdom) but lower than in North America (USA, Canada and Mexico).
At the end of November the level was Approval in North America was 53%, in South America 43% and in Europe 20%.. The scale remained the same throughout the year, although with slight variations from month to month in each region.
The report found that North America is consolidated as having “the highest average approval ratings and relatively stable trends.” South America, on the other hand, shows “a more volatile and demanding dynamic for the governing parties,” which Milei actually experienced in 2025, between before and after the midterm elections.
South America will overtake Europe in presidential approval in 2025
“While some presidents are starting 2025 with high approval ratings, the The regional average shows a clear trend towards progressive wear as the calendar progresses. “The erosion is gradual but persistent, affecting both governments that arrive with political capital and those that have already emerged from fragile situations,” the context says. Data for the government.
Finally, Europe stands out as the region with “greatest structural difficulties in restoring legitimacy,” even in countries undergoing political change such as Germany. “The change of government colors does not lead to substantial improvements in citizens’ assessments; on the contrary, the attrition appears to be transferred from one leadership to another,” the report concludes.
He report thus paints a better scenario for Javier Milei And Donald Trump than their European counterparts, but with their own limitations. The data about the Approval of the Argentine at the same level and even a step above the American level may be nice or picturesque for local politics, but if one widens the perspective, it shows leaders with a political base sufficient to maintain the level of adhesion and delay wear, but not to break the adhesion ceiling.
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