Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled to visit with President Biden at the White House today, Thursday, her first official visit to the United States since being elected to the office. While invitations to the White House are generally extended to Italian leaders, Meloni’s position as a right-wing PM could have placed that in doubt–but Meloni is defying negative expectations and proving to be a good ally.
Meloni may be small and unassuming in stature and demeanor, but she is emerging as one of the most imposing leaders in Europe. Indeed, none other than Nile Gardiner, the director of the Heritage Foundation’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, has compared her to the British “Iron Lady”. Knowing Thatcher’s historical significance in European politics, that is quite a compliment.
“Meloni has been a remarkable and stunning success story in Italy in a country that has suffered from political instability for decades, and she has challenged the status quo and is winning,” Gardiner stated.
The Italian prime minister is an unabashed conservative, and ahead of her election there was much fear among centrists and liberals in the US and in Europe, that Italy was about to elect another wannabe Trump, someone who would ape his abrasive and punitive politics for the sake of appearing strong.
Indeed, when she eventually won, in the US it was the Republicans who were elated. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, hailed the election results as “spectacular,” while Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., tweeted that he looked “forward to working with her” to “advance our shared interests.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., also chimed in to congratulate Meloni on her victory. Taylor Greene, a known conspiracy theorist and QAnon sympathizer, has attacked LGBTQ+ people, and as a rabid anti-abortionist and general gadfly, thought Meloni was going to be a kindred spirit. Steve Bannon has supported her in her rise to political stardom since 2018 and called her a rock star after their first meeting.
But Meloni, although unapologetically far-right, is showing that she is made of different stuff.
Unlike her fellow hard-right nationalist leaders such as Hungary’s Viktor Orbán or Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Meloni is well regarded by liberal leaders such as Biden and British PM Sunak, thanks in large part to her strong position on the war in Ukraine. Since taking office in October, the Italian leader has exceeded Western expectations and has even received praise for her strong Atlanticist positions.
Meloni’s acceptance on the international stage, by the US and others, has mainly been based on shared priorities in the foreign policy realm. On Ukraine, Meloni has proven herself to be a stalwart NATO ally and a staunch supporter of increasing military aid to Kyiv, despite just 39% of Italians agreeing. Affirming her position in the face of criticism, Meloni said: “If we stop, we allow the invasion of Ukraine. I’m not hypocritical enough to mistake an invasion with the word ‘peace.’”
Gardiner sees clear parallels between Meloni and Thatcher, not least the fact that she is willing to take a stand on controversial issues.
“One of the most impressive aspects of her time in office has been to implement what she has promised on the campaign trail,” Gardiner said. “I think Meloni really understands the significance of the culture wars in Europe, and she is the most principled leader in Western Europe on cultural matters and takes a very firm stand in defense of traditional Christian Western civilization.”
Gardiner called Meloni the “most powerful defender of Christianity in Western Europe today,” arguing that “very few leaders are prepared to take positions she takes.”
“Margaret Thatcher would have supported the stance Meloni took on the defense of Western civilization,” Gardiner said.
It remains to be seen whether Meloni succeeds in steering a course that does not stray too far to the right or the left, and whether she can keep on a steady course that will maintain the relative stability that Italian politics has enjoyed since her election.
“Lady Thatcher fundamentally turned the U.K. around from the sick man of Europe into an economic powerhouse, and Meloni still has to achieve similar economic reforms,” Gardiner added. “But I would say that Meloni aspires to be the Margaret Thatcher of Italy, I think that is the role model for her.”
Gardiner said that in order for Meloni to reach the legendary status of Thatcher, she would have to “embark on a radical pro-free market and economic agenda,” which he said would be “a huge challenge for Italy.”
“The scale of [the] task is a big one, but I think she’s by far the best Italian leader we have seen in the past couple of decades and is clearly a strong conservative leader,” Gardiner said. “We are still looking at the early stages of her prime ministerial career in Italy, but she has made a very promising start.”
