Speaking during a Democratic Governors Association reception and fundraiser in Washington D.C. Wednesday night, President Joe Biden compared Italy's new and conservative prime minister Giorgia Meloni to Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.
"Well, folks, you know -- and I mean this sincerely; you’re going to think this is a little out of whack what I’m going to talk about, but, you know, democracy is at stake. Literally, there's a there's a case being made around the world, not just here, because democracy and autocracy. And there's an awful lot of folks who believe that democracies can't be sustained in the 21st century because there's, problems are so, so much is changing in science and technology, the environment, a whole range of things, that it’s awful hard to reach a consensus in the short amount of time you have to reach," Biden said. "And so that's why I have these constant arguments. So I've had, I’ve met with Xi Jinping over 78 hours, 68 of which are in person, over the last 10 years. And he makes the case straight up that democracies can't be sustained in the 21st century."
"You just saw what's happened in Italy in that election. You're seeing what's happening around the world. And the reason I bother to say that is we can't be sanguine about what's happening here either," he continued.
Meloni campaigned on God, pride in country and defense of family values to win her place as Italy's next prime minister and yet, the left continues to paint her as a "threat to Democracy." She was elected by voters.
My new hero. -Kid rock pic.twitter.com/iXOv6YR6Aw
— KidRock (@KidRock) September 28, 2022
Meanwhile, even Meloni's direct rivals have refuted the American left's classification and say their claims of "threats to Democracy" are completely overblown.
Matteo Renzi: ex Italian PM, a liberal yet shuts up CNN, who cried Mussolini at her!
— Kreately.in (@KreatelyMedia) September 26, 2022
"Personally I was against Giorgia Meloni, I’m not her best friend, we are rivals but she is not a danger to democracy, the idea there is a risk of fascism in Italy is absolutely fake news" pic.twitter.com/mSpBQK4ner