Last year, when Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni was elected, President Joe Biden cited her rise as a cautionary tale for Democrats, urging them not to become too complacent ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. Oh, how times have changed. Tomorrow, Biden will host Meloni at the White House, a privilege he hasn’t even concretely extended to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (time and place remain to be determined for their prospective meeting). 

So why the sudden change of heart? Well, it turns out that Meloni isn’t some pro-Russia Mussolini-admiring “fascist” monster after all. She’s just an unequivocal conservative, a refreshing reprieve from the typical tepidness of the European Right. In fact, on everything, ranging from the war in Ukraine to China, Meloni appears to be a transatlanticist.

Maybe the next time progressives try to accuse a world leader of being a far-right reactionary, they’ll get their facts straight first.