That’s amore?
Elon Musk heaped praise on Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a black-tie awards reception as the pair put on an enamored display on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The Tesla billionaire and Trump supporter introduced the far-right politician at the Atlantic Council’s Global Citizen Awards dinner at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York Monday night.
Meloni “is even more beautiful on the inside than she is on the outside,” Musk gushed, according to Politico.
The X owner and father of 12 also described Meloni as “authentic, honest and thoughtful.”
“That can’t always be said about politicians,” Musk joked, which earned a wave of laughter from the 700 attendees, according to the New York Times.
When Musk presented Meloni with the coveted award, the duo appeared to stare briefly into each other’s eyes.
Meloni, 47, personally requested that Musk, 53, introduce her at the Atlantic Council dinner, which has become the social crown jewel of the United Nations General Assembly, Politico reported.
The pair has met several times over the last year, including their first meeting at Meloni’s official residence in Rome in June 2023.
Musk also spoke at a political festival hosted by Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party last December.
Musk has 12 kids with three different women and most recently welcomed a baby with Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis in January.
Meloni publicly dumped the father of her daughter, Andrea Giambruno, last fall after he made lewd comments on Italian TV.
When it was her turn at the podium on Monday, Meloni rewarded Musk’s effusive praise by calling him a “precious genius” before launching into a strident defense of patriotism.
“Defending our deep roots is the precondition for reaping ripe fruit,” the prime minister insisted, as she challenged the idea of the “inevitable decline of the West.”
Musk was seen nodding while Meloni spoke, and stood up to applaud when she finished.
Meloni and Musk were seated together at the event, where they were also spotted deep in conversation.
At one point, Meloni was seen gesturing emphatically while Musk leaned his head close to her, one video from reporter Smiriti Sharma showed.
Meloni has emerged as a leading political force in the European Union since she became the first female prime minister of Italy nearly two years ago.
Her selection for a Global Citizen Award riled some members of the Atlantic Council, who took issue with her past closeness with Russia and her party’s anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, Politico noted.
The think tank, however, lauded her “strong support of the European Union and the trans-Atlantic alliance, and her 2024 chairmanship of the Group of Seven.”
In addition to Meloni, the awards dinner on Monday recognized Nana Akufo-Addo, the president of Ghana; Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister of Greece; and Miky Lee, vice chair of CJ Group.
