'I'll Take My Chances': Trump Calls Meloni 'Beautiful', Says Doing So In US Is Political Suicide

Last Updated:October 14, 2025, 12:22 IST

A moment from Trump's address at the Gaza Peace Summit went viral as he called Italian PM Giorgia Meloni a "beautiful, young woman" and a "successful politician".

US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shake hands at the Gaza Peace Summit. (Reuters)

In a light-hearted moment at the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt, US President Donald Trump praised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a “beautiful young woman", before mentioning that saying so usually means the end of one’s political career.

The exchange came after the signing of “The Trump Declaration for Enduring Peace and Prosperity," for Gaza in Egypt, attended by leaders from 20 countries, including Meloni, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. The summit aimed to finalise a framework to end the ongoing Gaza war and establish a roadmap for long-term regional stability.

While addressing the Gaza Peace Summit, Trump said, “Italy, we have a woman, a young woman who is, I’m not allowed to say it because usually it’s the end of your political career if you say it. She’s a beautiful young woman. Now, if you used the word ‘beautiful’ in the United States about a woman, that’s the end of your political career. But I’ll take my chances."

Trump then turned to a smiling Meloni, who was standing right behind him and said, “You don’t mind being called beautiful, right? Because you are. Thank you very much for coming. We appreciate it. She wanted to be here, and she’s incredible. And they really respect her in Italy. She’s, she’s a very successful, very successful politician."

Trump has previously been criticised for sexist remarks. In September, a US appeals court upheld a jury’s $83.3-million penalty against Trump for defaming author E. Jean Carroll, whom he was found to have sexually assaulted.

Meanwhile, Meloni’s facial expressions were the subject of intense scrutiny and social media chatter at the Gaza Peace Summit. At one moment, she appeared visibly shocked when Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised Donald Trump as a “man of peace" and repeated Pakistan’s nomination for him to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Some social media users also claimed that Meloni appeared “amused" when UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was “humiliated" by Trump, when the Labour Party leader appeared to express a desire to speak with the US President at the podium but was apparently snubbed.

Several world leaders convened in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh on Monday, where Trump signed the Gaza ceasefire deal with mediators from Egypt, Turkey and Qatar. This came after Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday under a ceasefire deal and Israel sent home bus loads of Palestinian detainees.

Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...Read More

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international...

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News world 'I'll Take My Chances': Trump Calls Meloni 'Beautiful', Says Doing So In US Is Political Suicide

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