The Italian leader responded by praising Musk’s “precious genius.” She then delivered a passionate speech in defense of Western values, at the end of which Musk — who was sitting next to his mother — stood up and applauded.
The American entrepreneur and the Italian leader have met several times in recent years and bonded over their concern for the West’s declining birth rates and interest in the potential of artificial intelligence.
Musk, who traveled to Rome several times and participated in Meloni’s political party festival in December, has also praised the Italian government for its tough immigration policy.
In recent months, he has publicly endorsed former President Donald Trump in November’s U.S. election and supported other right-wing political figures such as Argentina’s libertarian Javier Milei and Brazil’s conservative Jair Bolsonaro.
On Wednesday, Meloni claimed that the choice of Musk to introduce her as she received the prize on Monday was made months ago and had “nothing to do with the American election campaign” and Musk’s support for Trump.