Elon Musk lavished Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with praise at an awards ceremony in Manhattan on Monday night, saluting the hard-right leader’s character and physical appearance. Meloni chose the Tesla billionaire to give her introduction as she received a Global Citizens Award from the Atlantic Council. The think tank honored Meloni’s “political and economic leadership of Italy” and her “support of Ukraine in Russia’s war against it,” according to The New York Times. Musk, who has previously expressed admiration for Meloni, on Monday said at the black-tie event in Manhattan that he was honored to present the award to “someone who is even more beautiful on the inside than she is on the outside,” further praising her as “authentic, honest and thoughtful.” “That can’t always be said about politicians,” he added, reportedly to laughter. Meloni returned the favor when it was her turn to speak at the Ziegfeld Ballroom event, calling Musk a “precious genius.”
