GEI Event with Italo Bocchino

New York, April 30, 2025- The guest speaker for this GEI Event was Italo Bocchino, prominent Italian political commentator, former member of Parliament, and Director of Il Secolo d’Italia. (See Invitation attached). His provocative new book, “Perché l’Italia è di Destra. Contro le bugie della sinistra”, published by Solferino, gave us the chance to have a lively conversation around the subject with an exceptional roster of speakers, including Antonio Monda, professor at New York University and columnist with il Foglio; Federico Rampini, columnist with Il Corriere della Sera; and last but not least, former Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, who gave us insights not only into the mayoral race in New York, but also into how the Democratic Party might respond to the challenges posed by President Donald Trump and the American MAGA. Bocchino’s book is a timely and thought-provoking look at Italy’s political trajectory. From the victories of the Democrazia Cristiana in 1948 to the rise of Giorgia Meloni in 2022, he traces the evolution of Italy’s conservative identity and challenges many of the assumptions surrounding it. We discussed also the current state of Italy-U.S. relations, including tariffs and the economic challenges we all seem to be facing; the outcome of Prime Minister Meloni’s visit to the White House; the international posture of Trump’s second term; and what the future may hold for transatlantic relations shaped by a new conservative consensus.