New Delhi: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni launched a fierce critique against what she terms the "liberal network," accusing the Left of hypocrisy and reacting with "hysteria" to the ascension of conservative leaders worldwide. Speaking via video link at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington DC on Saturday, PM Meloni lauded U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance while criticizing "elites" and left-wing politicians.
PM Meloni argued that liberals have grown increasingly frustrated with the rise of right-wing leaders, especially following President Trump's return to the White House. "When Bill Clinton and Tony Blair created the global leftist liberal network in the 90s, they were called statesmen," she said. "Today, when Trump, Meloni, (Javier) Milei, or perhaps (Narendra) Modi speak, they are labeled as threats to democracy. This is the Left's double standard, but we are used to it. The good news is that people no longer believe their lies. Despite all the mud they throw at us, citizens keep voting for us."
The Italian Prime Minister praised President Trump as a steadfast leader aligned with global conservatives despite external pressures. "The Left is nervous, and with Trump's victory, their irritation has turned into hysteria. Not only because conservatives are winning, but because conservatives are now collaborating globally," she asserted.
As the leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, PM Meloni was the only EU head of government to attend President Trump's inauguration in January. Her decision to address CPAC faced strong opposition from her political adversaries in Rome. The controversy escalated after Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, appeared to use a Nazi salute during the conference this week.
Opposition MPs urged PM Meloni to cancel her participation, following the example of Jordan Bardella, leader of France's National Rally (RN) party, who withdrew from CPAC over what he described as Bannon's "gesture alluding to Nazi ideology." Elly Schlein, leader of Italy's center-left Democratic Party, was among those calling on PM Meloni to distance herself from the event. "She should have the decency to disassociate herself from this neo-fascist gathering," Schlein said. "She has not said a word for days about Trump's insults and frontal attacks on Ukraine and the European Union. She is unable to defend Italian and European interests because she does not want to displease the new American administration."
Addressing concerns about strained U.S.-European relations, PM Meloni insisted that the transatlantic partnership remains intact. "The United States and Europe will remain close under Trump," she declared.
PM Meloni's remarks come amid European concerns over President Trump's diplomatic outreach to Russia and his warnings of a potential shift in U.S. policy toward Europe, particularly regarding NATO.