Italy’s Giorgia Meloni is the female Donald Trump for many on the left

Whenever Donald Trump speaks or does something publicly, it produces rage for many on the left. But he’s not alone as their target. Intelligent conservative women who rise to prominence and excel in their chosen professions seem to be catching up fast with Trump in that regard.  

Two American examples come to mind. A quick internet search will turn up criticism, vitriol and unhinged hatred vaulted by those on the left toward former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Much of this criticism seems to come from progressive women who evidently believe that only liberal women are entitled to be lauded for breaking glass ceilings.

But, as shocking and shameful as the hostility toward Haley and Barrett may be to some, it pales in comparison to what Italy’s first female prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has endured for the past two years. Leftists — again, many of them women — have gone after her, hammer and tongs, apparently for committing the ideological crime of conservatism. Yet Meloni has held true to her values and faith, challenging the numerous narratives espoused by the left.

She has been called a “Fascist,” an “extremist,” a “dictator in waiting,” and the second coming of Benito Mussolini. Some critics have even hinted that she’s a Nazi 2.0.

It’s no surprise, if you’ve paid attention to activist liberal “journalism,” that some of the most venomous assaults directed toward Meloni have originated from progressive sites in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Australia.

Many of the most ferocious diatribes against Meloni have been authored by women. One such article was published by The Atlantic in September 2022, titled, “The Return of Fascism in Italy.” Then, in February, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ran a story headlined, “Is Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a fascist?” The network included a photo of Mussolini giving a Nazi salute while standing next to Adolf Hitler. Seems like an attempt at character assassination; subtlety has never been a hallmark of those on the left.

Of course, one entitled liberal’s definition of “Fascism” is millions of Italian voters’ definition of pragmatic, commonsense solutions for the issues plaguing their lives and potentially threatening the future wellbeing of their children.

HBO host Bill Maher recently criticized the liberal media for meltdowns over conservative European political parties with “far-right” origins. To make his point, Maher used Meloni as an example because she was repeatedly labeled a “far-right” politician, and compared in the most inflammatory ways to Mussolini.

“The papers were apoplectic,” Maher said. “I’ve read some of her statements. It doesn’t sound like Fascism to me. It sounds like people we’ve heard in this country on the right — ‘We need to not forget our roots’ and traditional stuff like family. And you know, I understand why there’s a backlash to some of the s–t that’s going on.”

He also went after liberals for attacking Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party for having “Fascist origins.”

“They kept saying, ‘Her party has Fascist roots.’ So did the Democrats. They were the party of slavery and Jim Crow; then they outgrew it. All our parties have roots. We all grow from corrupt places — and now I see she’s invited to the White House.”

And therein may lie the real issue for some liberals, Democrats and far-left activists: They come across as being petrified of conservative, confident, intelligent, articulate women. Why? What do they fear? Could it be, as one theory goes, that these women — many of them mothers like Meloni — can much more effectively connect with everyday, disenfranchised voters based on their gender, their commonality, their style, their struggles, their principles, their faith and their success?

The truth is, Giorgia Meloni has an inspiring backstory. She grew up in a working-class Roman neighborhood and, on her own, with no connections or rich political benefactors, created her own political party — one that, in just four years, went from taking 4 percent of the vote to winning 26 percent in the most recent election.

As Meloni herself said in a speech, “I am the first woman to have been appointed prime minister in the history of Italy. I come from a cultural area that has often been confined to the margins of the (Italian) republic, and I certainly have not arrived here on the back of my family background or influential friendships. I represent what English people call ‘an underdog.’”

Shouldn’t such a history-making life story be celebrated — especially by women seeking their rightful place at the global power tables that have been dominated by men for centuries?

When I read the nasty insults and charges that are leveled at Meloni by some on the left, I wonder if those who are screaming “Fascist!” are betraying their own intolerance, insecurities  and ideological power-hungry biases.

Douglas MacKinnon, a political and communications consultant, was a writer in the White House for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and former special assistant for policy and communications at the Pentagon during the last three years of the Bush administration.