Premier Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday
defended her friendship with Elon Musk after ex-premier and Life
Senator Mario Monti asked about her relations with the
billionaire and member of US President-elect Donald Trump's
incoming administration.
"I have good relations with a lot of people and I don't take
orders from anyone, you should be happy about that," Meloni told
the Upper House as she reported to parliament ahead of this
week's EU summit.
"I am a free person who talks to everyone but I don't take
orders from anyone.
"I don't know what film you have seen, but I think we have to
understand each other on a fundamental difference between us and
what we have seen (in government) over the years.
"In the past we saw leaders who thought that a good relationship
meant slavishly executing others commands".
Meloni, the leader of the right-wing Brothers of Italy party,
and the world's richest man have repeatedly expressed their
admiration for each other.
In November Musk spurred opposition claims of meddling in
Italy's affairs by saying "these judges must go" after courts'
nixed of the detention of the first small batches of migrants
sent to processing centres in Albania under the government's
innovative but controversial new deterrence policy.
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