Elon Musk is to present Giorgia Meloni with the Atlantic Council’s global citizen award in New York, as Italy’s far-right prime minister resurrects links with allies of Donald Trump before the US presidential elections.
Meloni will receive the prize during a gala dinner on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in recognition of her “groundbreaking role as Italy’s first female prime minister, her strong support of the European Union and the transatlantic alliance, and her 2024 chairmanship of the Group of Seven”.
Some staff at the Atlantic Council told Politico’s NatSec Daily that they objected to Meloni receiving the award, given her previous admiration for Vladimir Putin and her positions on LGBTQ+ issues and immigration. Anger mounted when the non-partisan thinktank then announced that Musk, with whom Meloni has nurtured close relations since coming to power in October 2022, would present the award.
A source familiar with the situation said Meloni had learned she would receive the accolade about a year ago, and that the council’s tradition was for the recipient to select who presents it. Meloni was asked to choose between the former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and Musk. “She chose Musk, not because of Trump or for any political reason, but for his vision and because she considers him a friend and a prominent person,” the source said. “The scenario has altered over the last month or so but it was too late to change it.”
The council’s CEO, Frederick Kempe, brushed off concerns that the pairing could sully the thinktank’s work. He said in a statement to NatSec Daily: “Our staff includes individuals with a range of viewpoints, and it’s not unusual for lively discussions and disagreements on various aspects of how we approach international affairs. This diversity of thought strengthens our work.”
Trump recently said he would appoint Musk to lead “a government efficiency commission” if he wins the election.
Before taking power, Meloni was an explicit supporter of Trump, praising his brand of politics as a model for Italy and regularly travelling to his political gatherings. But she has also been savvy in building good relations with Joe Biden, bolstering Italy’s Atlanticist credentials and staunchly supporting Ukraine.
Meloni first met Musk in Rome in June last year and then invited him to attend her Atreju political festival in December, where he backed her crackdown on illegal immigration and urged Italian women to “make more babies”.
Raffaele Marchetti, a professor in international relations at Luiss University in Rome, said: “For Meloni, there are multiple benefits to this relationship. But first and foremost, he could potentially be an easy and solid entrance into the Trump government. She has made some contacts in the past, but Musk would mean a clear, wide-open door to Trump.”
Andrea Stroppa, a Rome-based employee of SpaceX who is described as a conduit between the pair, told La Repubblica that Musk appreciated Meloni because, like Trump, “she defends western values”.
Stefano Quintarelli, a tech entrepreneur, venture capitalist and former Italian MP, said Meloni would maintain good relations with the US administration regardless of whether Trump or Kamala Harris enters White House. “Meloni is very good at finding ways to please one or the other,” he said.
Meloni also met the bosses of Open AI, Google and Motorola in New York on Monday. “Firstly, she wants to understand more about the impact of AI and disruptive technologies and how to mitigate the negative impacts on the society without affecting the free market, and how to attract more investments in Italy,” said Paolo Messa, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.
“Musk is a big personality and there’s a good feeling between the two of them, and so I think she is attracted more by his ingenuity rather than his political will.”
