Elon Musk has denied the rumors of a “romance” with Italy’s prime minister, Georgia Meloni.

The comments about a Meloni-Mask romance arose from a particular…lovebombing by the businessman to the prime minister, as at an official gala in New York – where he presented her with the Global Citizen Award from the Atlantic Council think tank – Musk called her “even more beautiful on the inside than on the outside”. She did not fail to return the compliment, calling Musk a “precious genius.”

The rumours, following these comments, began to “heat up”. Even a global fan club for Tesla posted a photo of the two at the gala, with the caption “Do you think they’re together?”

However, Musk has denied any allegations of a sexual relationship with Melanie. “I was there with my mom. There is absolutely no romantic relationship with PM Meloni,” the American tech billionaire wrote on “X”, a platform he has owned since 2022. He even responded to the controversial fan club post with a terse “We are not together.”

Musk presented the Italian prime minister with the award on Monday and in his compliments to her, he also called her “authentic, sincere and thoughtful”.

The Italian leader praised him before delivering a speech in defence of Western values, at the end of which Musk – who was sitting next to his mother – stood up and applauded.

As Politico news outlet also reported, it was the 47-year-old Italian politician who asked for the award to be given to her by the 53-year-old billionaire.

The American businessman and Meloni have met several times in recent years, and share many similarities in their conservative ideology, including their concern about under-birth rates in the West and their interest in the potential of artificial intelligence. In addition, the businessman has been in Rome several times and participated in the festival of Meloni’s political party and has praised the Italian government for its tough immigration policy.