The Italian President subtly urged Musk not to interfere in the country’s internal affairs after the American billionaire suggested that judges in Rome blocking an anti-immigration initiative should be dismissed.

In a post on social media platform X on November 12, American billionaire Elon Musk wrote that “these judges need to go,” referring to the council of judges in Rome that had blocked the Italian government’s initiative to hold asylum seekers in Albania rather than allowing them entry into Italy.

This initiative, proposed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, aimed to curb the wave of illegal immigration into Italy. However, Rome’s judges questioned the legality of the program, which meant that asylum seekers being held in Albania would have to be brought back to Italy.

Musk’s comment made front-page news across Italian media and came just hours before he was appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the United States Government Performance Board, an agency tasked with creating a more efficient government.

American billionaire Elon Musk in Beverly Hills, California, on May 6. Photo: AFP

Elon Musk in Beverly Hills, California, on May 6.

“Italy is a great democracy and knows how to handle its own issues. Anyone, especially someone soon to assume an important role in the government of a friendly ally, should respect our sovereignty and not assume a teaching role toward our country,” Italian President Sergio Mattarella said today, though he did not mention Elon Musk by name.

Musk did not respond to the Italian President’s implicit criticism but continued to post additional comments about the country. “Are the people of Italy living in a democracy or an unelected authoritarian regime?” he questioned on X.

Musk’s comments came amid ongoing tensions between Italy’s ruling coalition and the judiciary. Although Meloni, who is said to be a friend of Musk, has not commented on the latest controversy, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini supported Musk’s remarks.

“Elon Musk is right,” he posted on X on November 12.

A year ago, Italy signed an agreement with Albania, under which asylum seekers caught at sea in the Mediterranean and deemed to be from “safe countries” would be transferred to this non-EU nation. However, the plan has faced legal challenges from the courts.

In October, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that no country could be considered “sufficiently safe” if any of its regions were in conflict. This ruling came as Meloni’s government was establishing temporary detention centers in Albania to expedite the deportation process for illegal migrants. Rome’s court argued that the plan should be halted until further opinions from the ECJ are obtained.

As a result, two small groups of migrants sent to Albania in the past three weeks were almost immediately brought back to Italy, complicating Meloni’s efforts to stem illegal immigration. Italy’s Supreme Court is expected to review the Rome court’s decision in early December.