The bond between Giorgia Meloni and Elon Musk is yielding benefits.
The Italian Prime Minister has been actively engaging with the MAGA community, seizing the chance presented by the Notre Dame inauguration to socialize with Donald Trump and their common acquaintance, Musk.
“I spent a lot of time with her,” Trump shared with the New York Post following a dinner with Meloni during a gathering for world leaders. “We really hit it off,” he remarked, describing Meloni as a “true live wire” brimming with “lots of energy.”
His admiration for Meloni seemed so strong that he invited her to his inauguration, as reported by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Meloni appeared to appreciate the president-elect’s company, labeling the evening as a “nice opportunity for dialogue” with both Trump and Musk.
Images from the event shared on social media by Meloni and Musk’s pro-Trump super PAC “America” depict Meloni attentively listening to Trump, sharing laughs with Musk, and awkwardly giving a thumbs up alongside the former president.
Meloni became Prime Minister in 2022, leading the post-fascist Brothers of Italy party. Similar to Trump, she ascended to the forefront of a conservative alliance by pledging to combat illegal immigration.
One year later, she extended an invitation to Musk to visit Rome, where they discussed their mutual interests: technology, artificial intelligence, and declining birth rates.
The world’s wealthiest individual was a surprise keynote speaker months later at the Atreju Festival, a political event named after Atreyu, the hero of the fantasy tale and movie The Neverending Story, which Meloni initiated in the 1990s while leading the local youth faction of Brothers of Italy in Rome.
This year, Musk awarded Meloni a contentious distinction from the Atlantic Council in New York. Following the release of photos of the two gazing at each other post-ceremony, the SpaceX billionaire took to social media to clarify that their relationship was strictly platonic.
However, after Trump secured re-election in November, Meloni reached out to congratulate the president-elect—and quickly followed up with congratulations for her “friend” Musk, who invested $250 million into Trump’s campaign.
Meloni seemingly aims for her connection with Musk to enhance Italy’s significant role in the U.S. relationship with Europe, according to a post on X from Andrea Stroppa, Musk’s chief aide in Italy.
Since reinstating Trump to the White House, Musk has been considered for an advisory role focused on reducing waste and streamlining government processes. This is an area where, despite the shared technological enthusiasm and advocacy for higher birth rates, Italy has not exactly shined.
