Almost three years after the video that showed him with Tamara Pettinato in the presidential office and caused a strong controversy on social media, Alberto Fernández referred to the episode again and surprised with a new explanation. According to his account, the scene of the 'say something nice' was directed at Ernesto Tenembaum, a radio host and former Pettinato's co-host on a show. During an interview on the Blender cycle, the former president recalled the context in which the video was filmed and how the idea came about: 'Tamara Pettinato is a friend of mine, whom I dearly love. Like her father, I consider her one of the best people I have ever met,' Fernández began. The former head of state explained that on that day the journalist had come to interview him for a report intended for Chinese television. Before filming, they had lunch at the Casa Rosada, a moment in which Fernández wanted to make an inside joke: 'That day, Ernesto Tenembaum had roasted me on his radio show, where Tamara was a panelist. So I told her: 'You know me, why did you let Ernesto treat me like that?', and that's when I thought of making a kind of sarcastic remark'. According to his version, the famous fragment where he is heard saying 'say something nice' had a specific purpose: 'I told her, 'let's show Ernesto that there is someone in his show who really likes me,' and that's where that conversation comes from. She had to say something nice and she didn't'. The footage, filmed during his presidency at the Casa Rosada, showed Fernández and Pettinato in a relaxed tone. The phrase 'say something nice' went viral and sparked criticism for its institutional context. Now, the former head of state is trying to clarify that the moment was more of a private joke than a political misstep that was misinterpreted by the public. Fernández responded with humor: 'No, he never received it, because Tamara never said what I asked her to. The video was for him,' he explained. Amid laughter, the streaming host, Tomás Rebord, asked if the journalist ever saw the recording. She is married to an official in my government, José Glinski.
