Giorgia Meloni says ‘I thought it would be easier with Trump’ New York Times reports

"It is clear that, with Donald Trump, I thought things would be easier, given our convergence on immigration and woke culture. But things turned out differently.", Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told to the New York Times, setting out her view of the difficult relations that have developed over time between her government and the Washington administration.

In July Trump's post about Meloni: 'Needs a restraining order'

The tensions between the two governments peaked last July, ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, when the US head of state posted on his social network Truth an image showing him next to Meloni, accompanied by the caption: "Needs a restraining order". In other words, a precautionary measure like those imposed on stalkers – a way of signalling his intention to keep the prime minister more at arm's length.

In the interview, she said that there had been no contact with Trump for several weeks. When asked whether a meeting was planned after the summer break, the Brothers of Italy leader gave an evasive answer, "We will see", she then added, "I continue to believe that Western unity is very important." While making it clear that she does not "decide Italy's strategy on the basis" of her "personal relationships."

More broadly, Meloni reiterated a position she has voiced before, "I do not like" she said "the idea of a subservient Italy that sees itself as inferior to others." She thus asserted her determination to carry out "the greatest possible revolution in this nation: a revolution of pride".

'I want to carry out the greatest possible revolution in Italy: a revolution of pride'

The prime minister then spoke about her decision to be referred to as "presidente" in the masculine, once again confirming her belief that the feminist campaign for inclusive language is "wrong: what matters to me is whether I am free to become president of the Council of Ministers. That is equality, not being called 'la presidente'."

She also returned to the words she spoke at a rally that went around the world, "I am a woman, I am a mother, I am Italian, I am Christian". Meloni told the New York Times that she is convinced those words "struck a chord that millions of people felt – the sense of being under threat in their most authentic and fundamental identity".

The article devoted by the US newspaper to the Italian leader then traces her origins in the Garbatella district of Rome, recounts her family relationships and her political career, which has its roots in the Youth Front, an organisation of what was then the Italian Social Movement, a party inspired by neo-fascism.