Opposition rounds on Meloni for off-air comment amid accusations of contempt for the press.
Italian premier Giorgia Meloni has come in for heavy criticism in Italy after admitting her aversion to the media in off-air remarks during Ukraine peace talks at the White House.
Meloni was caught in a hot mic moment after the meeting on Monday with US president Donald Trump, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky and several other European leaders.
When Finnish president Alexander Stubb asked Trump if he faced interaction with the media every day, the US leader nodded and said: “All the time.”
“But he loves it,” Meloni can be heard interjecting, before adding: “I never want to speak with my press!”
Il fuorionda di #Meloni
I giornalisti hanno colto un breve scambio tra Giorgia Meloni e #Donald Trump alla Casa Bianca in cui Giorgia Meloni confessa la sua “allergia” alla stampa italiana pic.twitter.com/pteeUhxFGI
— Fanpage.it (@fanpage) August 19, 2025
Her off-air remark has been slammed by opposition politicians in Italy as well as by the Italian National Press Federation (FNSI), the unitary trade union of the Italian journalists.
“It’s well known that the prime minister dislikes journalists and questions from the press” – FNSI secretary general Alessandra Costante said in a statement – “Over the years, she has replaced press conferences (except for the end-of-year one) with long online monologues, without cross-examination or questions. Propaganda, not information. A lack of respect for the press was confirmed in the summit with President Trump.”
Carlo Calenda, leader of the centrist Azione party, commented on the case with a post on X: “The leader of a democratic country isn’t afraid of the press and knows it’s their duty to communicate with all newspapers. Saying ‘I never want to speak to the Italian press’ to an aspiring autocrat who compiles journalist blacklists every day is even more serious. A terrible impression.”
Il leader di un paese democratico non ha paura della stampa e sa che è suo dovere interloquire con tutti i giornali. Dire” io non voglio mai parlare con la stampa italiana” ad un aspirante autocrate che compila quotidianamente liste di proscrizione dei giornalisti e’ ancora più… https://t.co/87osVky3dE
— Carlo Calenda (@CarloCalenda) August 19, 2025
Angelo Bonelli, MP for the Green and Left Alliance (AVS) and co-spokesperson for Europa Verde, accused Meloni of “shirking the role that journalists have in a democracy: that of asking questions and holding the government accountable for its decisions. As is her wont, Meloni prefers to speak alone in her videos, like an autocrat resistant to engaging with the press, which plays a fundamental role in any democracy.”
Riccardo Magi, secretary of the centre-left Più Europa, said Meloni’s remark proved “her total contempt for the press and freedom of information”, claiming that “she would like complacent journalists and a sycophantic press.”
This view was echoed by Silvia Fregolent, a senator with the centrist Italia Viva party, cited by La Stampa newspaper: “The off-camera comment with Trump is crystal clear: Meloni cannot cope with questions, that is, with democracy. A prime minister who runs away from journalists also runs away from citizens. Anything but a courageous patriot: Meloni only feels safe in recorded monologues and live social media.”
Photo credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
