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The Italian Prime Minister has sharply criticized the head of the country’s biggest labor union after the official referred to her as the “courtesan” of President Donald Trump.

Context of the Disputed Remarks

CGIL leader Maurizio Landini, who heads Italy’s CGIL labor organization, uttered the words in a televised interview this Tuesday. This came just after world leaders, Meloni among them, participated in a Middle East peace summit held in Egypt.

The union leader asserted Meloni of “not having lifted a finger” to secure peace in Gaza, saying her role was restricted to “playing Trump’s courtesan”. “Fortunately, Italian people took to the street to defend the dignity and honour of Italy,” he stated.

Meloni’s Response

Via an online post on Thursday, Meloni declared that the union chief was “evidently clouded by increasing animosity (that I comprehend)”. She proceeded to share a meaning of the term “courtesan”.

“In my opinion everyone knows the most common meaning given to this word, but, to help people who don’t know, I am sharing the initial definition found through a simple web search,” the Prime Minister stated, attaching a screenshot that said: “Woman of loose morals, heterosexual; polite expression, escort.”

Meloni further condemned her left-leaning critics, saying that over many years they had preached to us on women’s rights” only to then attack a female leader by “labeling her a prostitute”.

Response from Landini

In response to the Prime Minister’s comments, Landini contended that there were “no gender-based slurs” toward the Prime Minister and that he had used “Trump’s subordinate”.

Through an official comment, he clarified: “Over a short TV segment, that is publicly available, to prevent misinterpretation or misuse of the expression, I made it clear my intended meaning – that Meloni was on the coat tails of Trump, she was in Trump’s circle, she acted as Trump’s subordinate.”

Meloni’s Relations with Trump

The Italian leader has consistently maintained amicable ties with the American leader. In a public address at the Egypt summit, the US President turned to the Italian Prime Minister – the only woman present at the summit – and called her “beautiful”. “In the United States, such a remark might be the end of your political career,” he noted. “But I’ll take the risk. May I comment that you’re beautiful? As you are indeed beautiful.”

The US president afterwards lauded Meloni as “an inspiration to all” in regarding the English edition of her book, I Am Giorgia: My Roots, My Principles, which contains a preface by his son.

Earlier Controversies

During the summer, Meloni reacted strongly after learning that altered images of Meloni and other prominent Italian women had been shared on a pornographic website, saying she was “disgusted”, and offering “empathy and assistance to all the women who have been insulted, offended, and abused”.