The centre-right is using the mid-term elections to campaign. Meloni: “We’ll talk about America another time”

The Italian centre-left is celebrating following the US mid-term elections, whilst the government remains silent. “The Democrats have won a landslide victory against Trump and the oligarchs. The desire for change has secured a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The people’s hope is stronger than the arrogance of these right-wingers in power. And unity is stronger than those who seek to divide us.” So said PD Secretary Elly Schlein following the outcome of the US mid-term elections: a crucial moment for Donald Trump’s final two years in the White House, from which, however, the Democrats emerged victorious, taking control of the House and Senate with an overwhelming majority. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, on the other hand, reacted quite differently: “We’ll talk about America another time. Right now, it’s Armed Forces Day, 4 November.”

Schlein then reported on the jubilation in Italy following the US election result. “We will defeat these right-wing parties that bring nothing but war, division, recession and rising living costs. To defend the dignity of people and work, for equality and the right to a better future.” For the Democratic leader, “within this historic landslide victory there are certain results that speak volumes about what is happening in American society”. She then went on to congratulate the leading figures of the Democrats, from James Talarico to Abdul El Sayed, right through to Amy Acton, Ohio’s first female governor. “Women have played a major role in this resounding defeat of Trump and the billions spent by the oligarchs against the Democrats,” she added. The PD’s youth wing (Young Democrats) cheered alongside Schlein: “Together, Secretary. We’ll be next!”

Celebrations intertwined with domestic election campaigning, including from Giuseppe Conte. “From the streets of Italy to the American ballot boxes that rejected Trump, citizens are showing they’ve had enough of illegitimate wars, the arms race and military spending, price rises, the high cost of living, cuts and rights that only go so far,” the M5S leader wrote on Facebook. “The signal that came from the United States last night is a warning that speaks to us all: the participation of those who express the urgent need to turn the page immediately is fundamental. We really can change things.”  

For the Green and Left Alliance too, Trump’s defeat is closely linked to the issue of war. “This extraordinary victory for the Democrats allows the world to breathe a sigh of relief, because this mad logic of war must be stopped,” said Angelo Bonelli, an AVS MP and co-spokesperson for EV, on Rai 3. “Trump is a man who, along with his family, has enriched himself through wars and has embarked on a policy of criminal rearmament. The year 2025 ended with expenditure of 2,888 billion dollars,” he continued, turning the discussion back to our country: “I hope that Trump’s allies – who, in Europe and the rest of the world, have been subservient to this madness, starting with Italy – will also put a stop to it. Today, those who govern the planet do so with the aim of asserting military supremacy to build a new geopolitical order. But the majority of the world’s peoples want peace, whilst Trump has done nothing but export wars, one after another, to fuel the American arms industry,” he concluded. 

Matteo Renzi’s reaction was more cautious; he believes the US election result is an opportunity for the Italian centre-left to reflect. “Anyone listening to Obama’s speech in Michigan realises that there is no internal division within the centre-left that isn’t worth overcoming. If the Democrats had gone into the election divided, Trump would be celebrating today. The challenge is that by 2027 we’ll stand united and Meloni will stop celebrating. And you know what Tajani will do with that ‘Make America Great Again’ cap…”, said the leader of Italia Viva on La7. “It is clear that what has happened today also has repercussions for Italian politics; there is a great need for unity within the centre-left, which will then find solutions to individual issues”, he added. 

Meanwhile, all is quiet on the other side. This morning, the centre-right leaders’ attention was entirely focused on National Unity and Armed Forces Day. “We’ll talk about America another time. Today is Armed Forces Day, 4 November,” the Prime Minister replied to reporters who asked her for a comment on the mid-term elections, on the sidelines of the ceremony at the Altare della Patria. “I see you’re very interested in Republic Day and Armed Forces Day,” she added. 

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani have also remained silent, as they too are more interested in celebrating the armed forces than in commenting on the US election.