Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty
Right-wing media rejoiced this week over news that Italy had elected its most far-right leader since fascist Benito Mussolini was deposed following World War II, describing the victory of Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party as “the rise of Christian nationalism.”
With Italy’s flirtation with fascism sending shockwaves throughout Europe and the Western world, MAGA pundits attempted to paint Meloni’s ideology as “middle of the road,” suggesting that she couldn’t be “hard-right” if she won the election.
In just a matter of a few short years, Meloni has helped take the Brothers of Italy from a fringe-right group to the most powerful party in her country. And besides leading the nation’s first far-right government since Mussolini, Meloni also makes history by becoming Italy’s first woman premier.