Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, has found herself at the center of political controversies due to her close ties with Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
According to Bloomberg, her close friendship with some of the world's most influential businessmen has brought Meloni significant popularity; however, such proximity may pose risks to her political career. Although Meloni received an invitation to Trump's inauguration, signaling her influence, her relationship with the new American president could lead to complications, particularly due to differing viewpoints.
Meloni holds fundamentally different positions on tariffs that could harm Italian companies and on support for Ukraine.
"At the same time, Musk, while close to Meloni, has also defended her deputy Matteo Salvini, who leads the anti-immigration League and holds more extremist views than her own party, and is a rival she outmaneuvered to become prime minister," writes Mancini.
Another challenging situation for Meloni is the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sali in Iran, which has put her at odds with the U.S. This incident occurred after the detention of a Swiss-Iranian citizen in Italy on charges of using deadly drones.
While Meloni continues to solidify her position, her collaboration with such controversial figures as Trump and Musk may lead to unpredictable consequences for her political career, as some of her colleagues have already expressed dissatisfaction with this closeness.
Source: bloomberg.