Rozina Sabur
Deputy US Editor
25 September 2024 6:11pm
Elon Musk has denied having an affair with “beautiful” Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, in response to a picture of the pair gazing into each other’s eyes.
Their warm exchange at a black-tie event in New York this week drew headlines on both sides of the Atlantic.
Musk, the billionaire owner of X and Starlink, presented the Italian prime minister with the Global Citizen Award from the Atlantic Council think tank on Monday.
The New York Post called it a “public love-in” between the world’s richest man and the first female Italian prime minister.
One photograph (which can be seen at the top of this article) showed the pair locking eyes as they sat beside each other at a dinner table.
“I was there with my Mom. There is no romantic relationship whatsoever with PM Meloni,” Musk wrote on his social media platform in response to a post of the photograph with the caption: “We all know what happened next”.
In brief remarks before handing over the award, Musk said Ms Meloni was “someone who is even more beautiful inside than outside”.
“That can’t always be said about politicians,” Musk added, drawing laughter from the crowd.
The Italian Right-wing leader embraced the billionaire entrepreneur and replied that he was a “precious genius”.
Ms Meloni is known for her tactile greetings with world leaders, and was photographed warmly greeting Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden at a G7 summit over the summer.
In her 15-minute acceptance speech, the right-wing leader outlined her vision for Western conservatism.
“I don’t know if nationalism is the correct word because it often recalls doctrines of aggression or authoritarianism,” she told the 600-odd crowd in Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom.
“However, I know that we should not be ashamed to use and defend words and concepts like nation and patriotism.”
She called patriotism “the best response to declinism,” as she challenged perceptions of the “inevitable decline of the West.”
Meloni, who split from her long-time partner Andrea Giambruno in 2023, had requested that Musk hand her the award (which he did, below).
The pair have met several times before. The Italian prime minister hosted the billionaire at her official residence in Rome last year, with Musk flying to the country in June.
They have previously discussed their shared interest in the West’s declining birth rates and the positive potential of AI.
Musk also flew to Italy a second time last year in December, when he spoke at a political festival hosted by Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party.
The post Elon Musk denies having an affair with ‘beautiful’ Giorgia Meloni appeared first on The Telegraph.
