MILAN — Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday defended her friendship with U.S. tech billionaire and Trump confidant Elon Musk, telling Italian lawmakers that she wouldn’t be influenced in areas the place he has financial pursuits.
“I is usually a buddy of Elon Musk and on the similar time the pinnacle of the primary Italian authorities that made a brand new legislation to control personal exercise in area,’’ she stated, responding to questions throughout a customary parliamentary dialogue forward of a European Union summit in Brussels this week.
Meloni has met steadily with the Tesla and SpaceX billionaire since her far-right-led authorities got here to energy in 2022, eager to carry investments in Italy. Meloni’s authorities this summer time authorised a framework for international area corporations to function in Italy, which is predicted to generate 7.3 billion euros ($7.7 billion) in investments by 2026.
Taking a swipe at her predecessors, she stated earlier Italian leaders “who thought that they had a very good relationship, even a friendship, with a international chief, they needed to slavishly observe what the others did.”
Meloni added that she had good relationships “with many individuals” however “I don’t take orders from anybody.”
Meloni and Musk’s friendship has attracted consideration up to now. Musk denied a romantic relationship final September after a photograph of them trying fondly at one another went viral. The 2 had been at a black-tie occasion in New York the place Musk had offered Meloni with an award.
Musk appeared a 12 months in the past at an occasion for youth members of Meloni’s celebration in Italy. Extra not too long ago, he took to social media platform X, which he controls, to assault an Italian court docket choice that has stymied Meloni’s plans to vet migrants rescued at sea in Albania. Musk’s feedback drew a robust rebuke from Italy’s president.
