 "US President Donald Trump greets Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. (Photo: AFP)")
US President Donald Trump, on Tuesday, called Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a “beautiful young woman” while addressing world leaders at the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city. Meloni, 43, who has served as Italy’s Prime Minister since 2022, was the only woman leader on stage during the event.
Trump remarked, “I’m not allowed to say it because usually it’s the end of your political career if you say it….She is a beautiful young woman.” He added, “If you use the word ‘beautiful’ in the United States about a woman, that’s the end of your political career, but I’ll take my chances.” Looking directly at Meloni, he said, “You don’t mind being called beautiful, right? Because you are. Thank you very much for coming. She wanted to be here and she’s incredible and they really respect her in Italy. She’s a very successful, very successful politician.”
Gaza peace and reconstruction focus
Co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the summit brought together leaders from more than 20 nations to outline a roadmap for lasting peace and reconstruction in Gaza. Trump hailed the exchange of hostages between Israel and Hamas as a “monumental moment in the history of the world beyond the Middle East” and praised the signing of a declaration to cement a ceasefire.
Emphasising international commitment, Trump said, “We have all agreed that supporting Gaza must be done to lift up the people themselves. But we don’t want to fund anything having to do with the bloodshed, hatred or terror as has happened in the past.” During the summit, Trump was also awarded Egypt’s highest state honour, the Order of the Nile, recognising his role in facilitating the event.