“Trump isn’t my kind of right-winger,” says Occhiuto. And he’s not the only one in Forza Italia

“I don’t support the Democrats, but Trump isn’t my kind of right-winger, and I fear he isn’t the one the world needs. If the mid-term elections were to help Republicans and Americans realise that even there we need a different kind of right-wing – one that is liberal and capable of strengthening the West – that would be a good thing,” says Roberto Occhiuto, deputy secretary of Forza Italia and president of the Calabria region. As we shall see, his is not an isolated position amongst the ‘Azzurri’. 3 November is drawing near, marking the moment of truth for US President Donald Trump: the mid-term elections are just around the corner, the polls show him losing ground, the Democrats appear to be gaining momentum, and Europe is watching the outcome of the overseas vote with a mixture of apprehension and hope. The outcome of the mid-term elections is also a watershed moment for the EU, where Trump’s fate is linked to the decisions that will be taken regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Middle East. The entire centre-right is therefore watching closely: a centre-right which, with regard to Trump’s persona and actions, is not the same as it was a couple of years ago, even though Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, interviewed by Bruno Vespa in his new book Storia della Seconda Repubblica. Da Berlusconi a Meloni, da Prodi a Schlein’, due out on 2 November from Mondadori-Rai Libri, spoke conciliatorily (in the name of the national interest) in the wake of the various attacks from Trump’s camp throughout 2026 over the lack of support for the offensive in Iran – first with the cry that ‘Meloni is no longer the same person’, then with mocking remarks directed at the Prime Minister at the G7 summit in Evian, specifically with the phrase “she begged me to have my photo taken with her; I felt sorry for her” (Meloni’s response: “I am stunned”).

And whilst the Lega is divided internally over whether to remain staunch Trump supporters without any ifs or buts (Luca Zaia has voiced many ‘buts’), among the Azzurri, disapproval of the US President’s actions and tone has become increasingly palpable: the secretary, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani had cancelled an official visit to the US following the insults directed at the Prime Minister, whilst reiterating the central importance of transatlantic dialogue. And Senator and former minister Maurizio Gasparri had described the US President’s words in no uncertain terms as “unacceptable”. Today, two days before the mid-term elections, Giorgio Mulè, deputy speaker of the Chamber of Deputies for Forza Italia and former undersecretary for defence in the Draghi government, says that an electoral ‘blow’ to Trump ‘might perhaps be useful in bringing back a bit of reason and less muscle when tackling major international issues’. Flavio Tosi, a former MEP and former mayor of Verona, who has been critical of the US President ever since his inauguration speech, is very clear: “I hope, in the interests of the EU – and therefore of Italy – that this unbalanced man loses the mid-term elections. And I would also say in the interests of the Americans, because he causes damage everywhere”.

Meanwhile, in Rome, on the sidelines of the ‘Azzurra’ secretariat meeting, Deputy Secretary and Head of the Foreign Affairs Department Deborah Bergamini says: “We are not mere spectators in the stands, but we do have one hope: that the world’s greatest liberal democracy, whatever the outcome of the vote, remains steadfast and does not allow any drift within its ranks. We are tied to the Atlantic community, and we are a party with a strong Atlanticist DNA. For this reason, even if the ‘Make America Great Again’ philosophy is not our cup of tea, we believe that US-Italy relations must be strengthened, in the name of defending Western values, all the more so at a time when the West is under attack.” Will Tuesday’s midterm elections make the path easier or not?