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Italy’s Giorgia Meloni caught on hot mic telling Trump she ‘never’ wants to speak to Italian press
Remark at White House summit on Ukraine sparks debate back home over Italy PM’s strained ties with media.
While the event was intended to highlight diplomatic unity, Meloni’s aside has instead drawn attention back home.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has stirred fresh controversy after being overheard telling former U.S. President Donald Trump that she “never” wants to speak to the Italian press.
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The comment, captured on a hot mic during a White House summit this week, has reignited debate in Italy over her fraught relationship with the media.
The remark came on the sidelines of a high-profile summit hosted by Trump, where European leaders gathered in Washington to discuss strategies for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. While the event was intended to highlight diplomatic unity, Meloni’s aside has instead drawn attention back home.
It is to be noted that Italy's ranking on the World Press Freedom Index has significantly declined in recent years, indicating a deterioration of press freedom conditions.
Meloni, leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy party, has often had a tense rapport with the Italian press. Since taking office in 2022, she has accused sections of the media of bias, while journalists have accused her administration of limiting transparency and restricting access.
In Italy, freedom of the press has long been a sensitive issue, particularly given the country’s history of concentrated media ownership and political influence over public broadcasters.
"Giorgia Meloni’s Italy (ranked at 46th in Press Freedom Index) – where a member of the ruling parliamentary coalition is trying to acquire the second biggest news agency (AGI) – has fallen five places this year," the latest report from Reporters Without Borders noted.
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