Italy PM Giorgia Meloni shares this image with Elon Musk, writing, "In the past few hours I have heard from my friend @elonmusk . I am convinced that his commitment and vision will be an important resource for the United States and Italy, in a spirit of collaboration aimed at addressing future challenges."
The Italian prime minister and the world's richest man have repeatedly praised each other in public in recent months, so much so that Musk replied to a joke on X in September to say the two were not having an affair.
Meloni said in a post on X that she had spoken to her "friend" Musk in recent hours.
Musk presented Meloni with an award from the Atlantic Council think tank in September, giving a speech in which he said Meloni was "someone who is even more beautiful inside than outside". She replied that he was a "precious genius".
They were later photographed gazing into each other's eyes at a banquet table, giving rise to online jokes and commentary in Italian media.
After Donald Trump's triumphant victory in the presidential election, his granddaughter Kai Trump posted a celebratory family photo that has caused a buzz -- not for who was missing, but for who was present: Elon Musk.
The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO, holding his son X A-12, stood on the edge of the Trump family circle, a placement that seemed both subtle and symbolic. Meanwhile, Trump's wife Melania was conspicuous by her absence.
During his victory speech, Trump praised his most vocal cheerleader, Musk, in glowing terms, describing him as a "special guy" and a "super genius".
"We have a new star. A star is bornElon. He is an amazing guy," he said. "We have to protect our geniuses; we dont have that many of them."