Elon Musk denies rumors of romantic involvement with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after the viral photo and his compliments at the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award ceremony in New York.
The rumors started doing the rounds after Elon Musk handed Meloni the prestigious award and said she was “authentic, honest, and truthful,” adding she was
“even more beautiful on the inside than on the outside.”
With these comments and a photo or two of the two of them together at the event, playful speculation about a romance heated up in no time online.
But Musk surely didn’t waste any time in putting those rumors to rest. He took to X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, to clear the air: “We are not dating.” He explained that he was attending the event with his mother and not Meloni, adding their relationship is strictly professional. “I was there with my Mom,” Musk finally added to finally squash the hopes of romance.
The attention focused on their display at an Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award event, at which Musk was honoring Meloni with a major award in New York. During the speech, Musk showered so much praise on the Italian Prime Minister that he even referred to her as “someone who is even more beautiful on the inside than on the outside,” further fueling media and social media frenzy. Fresh from a separation with her longtime partner, Meloni beamed with pride as Musk called her “honest, authentic, and truthful,” words that resonated with many watching the ceremony.
Musk and Meloni have met several times in the last year, and their discussions around shared concerns such as declining birth rates and technological advancement helped feed the rumors. Musk had visited Italy in both June and December 2023, meeting with political leaders to stir media interest in their relationship. Up until now, their public admiration for each other’s work has already alerted analysts but remained within the bounds of professional respect.
Some reports even suggested that Meloni herself had asked Musk to give her the award, absolutely contributing to the media tizzy.
As with anything trending these days, social media went crazy over the viral photo and Musk’s comments. There were people on X making light jokes about just how much Meloni seemed to be admired by the tech billionaire. Memes even circulated, humorously exaggerating their relationship. One such user added, “Next Elon’s rocket launch: straight to Meloni’s heart,” while others spun light conspiracy theories of a romance that might be.
On a more serious note, political commentators were quick to point out the media’s tendency to obsess over the romantic linking of powerful figures-let alone when they share the front page on public occasions. Some analysts say the leaks about Musk and Meloni’s personal lives detract from actual issues that have been debated between them, such as global population trends and technological progress.
