{"pk":47933,"title":"Italy, Trump, and the Global Right: A Populist Transatlantic Alliance?","subtitle":null,"abstract":"<p>This essay examines the possible impact of Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency in 2025 on Italian politics, focusing on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the country’s deep-rooted right-wing populism. Framing Italy as both a laboratory and a mirror of global populist trends, the analysis explores Meloni’s alignment with Trump’s rhetoric and domestic policy priorities—particularly on migration and national identity—while also highlighting potential divergences in foreign policy and Italy’s position within the European Union. Drawing on recent political developments, including Meloni’s visit to Washington and Trump’s attendance at Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome, the essay argues that Italy’s role in a potential “populist axis” remains contested. It further warns of the domestic repercussions of Trump and Meloni's alignment: rising racism, xenophobia, and the normalization of exclusionary discourse. Ultimately, the piece positions Italy as a crucial case study for understanding the global entrenchment of populist ideologies and the futures of liberal democracy.</p>","language":"eng","license":{"name":"Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives  4.0","short_name":"CC BY-NC-ND 4.0","text":"Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.\n\nNonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.\n\nNoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.\n\nNo additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0"},"keywords":[{"word":"Populism"},{"word":"Italy-US politics"},{"word":"Dinald Trump and Giorgia Meloni"},{"word":"Transnational American Studies"}],"section":"Special Section: Reflections on the US 2024 Elections in a Global Context","is_remote":true,"remote_url":"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/26c3q22s","frozenauthors":[{"first_name":"Alice","middle_name":"","last_name":"Ciulla","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of Roma Tre","department":""}],"date_submitted":"2025-05-25T23:46:40.706000Z","date_accepted":"2025-05-25T23:53:11.577000Z","date_published":"2025-08-03T17:53:00Z","render_galley":{"label":"PDF","type":"pdf","path":"https://journalpub.escholarship.org/jtas/article/47933/galley/38537/download/"},"galleys":[{"label":"PDF","type":"pdf","path":"https://journalpub.escholarship.org/jtas/article/47933/galley/38537/download/"}]}