Musk, the self-righteous tech mogul who has angered regulators on both sides of the Atlantic and is supporting Donald Trump in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, praised Meloni as “a person who is more beautiful on the inside than on the outside” and “an honest, thoughtful person.”
Musk taunted Meloni’s colleagues, adding, “You can’t always say that about politicians,” drawing laughter from the crowd.
Meanwhile, the Italian president responded by praising Musk’s “precious genius.”
The two have met several times before, with Meloni hosting the billionaire at her official residence in Rome last year to discuss shared interests such as the West’s declining birth rate and the potential of artificial intelligence. Musk was also a guest speaker at a political festival hosted by Meloni’s far-right Italian Brotherhood party in December.
But Monday was Meloni’s moment. Following brief remarks from Musk and a brief hug from X and the Tesla boss, Meloni, 47, who became Italy’s first female prime minister nearly two years ago, delivered a 15-minute speech outlining her vision for Western conservatism.
Meloni avoided contemporary geopolitical concerns, except for a brief mention of Italy’s support for Ukraine. Instead, she launched into a lengthy explanation of her conservative philosophy. Building on an op-ed by Anthony J. Constantini in POLITICO last year, Meloni launched into a passionate defense of Western “values” and “civilization built over centuries.”
