Did Italian PM Giorgia Meloni really say she'd 'kill someone' rather than give up smoking

At the Gaza peace summit, in Egypt, Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni sparked a media buzz when she quipped that she'd be willing to "kill someone" than quit smoking. The 48‑year‑old, famed for her wit and populist flair, was caught on camera delivering the line alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a long‑time champion of anti‑smoking campaigns, in his country.

A fleeting, on‑record, back‑and‑forth at the Sharm El Sheikh summit instantly sparked a flurry of chatter, laying bare a seldom‑seen blend of humor and frankness from the leader right in the thick of high‑stakes diplomatic talks.

Giorgia Meloni is in the spotlight as leaders joke about her smoking at the summit

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was in the spotlight following a joking back-and-forth between global leaders during a recent global summit. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan commented on her looks as he mocked her regarding her smoking habit, leaving British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron laughing. Erdoğan said:

"You look great. But I have to make you stop smoking."

To which Macron said that it's just impossible.

Meloni replied:

"I know, I know. I don't want to kill someone."

In fact, the engagement came on the heels of a surprise confession by Meloni in her published memoir: after thirteen years without a cigarette, she had taken up smoking, insisting the habit helped her forge a rapport with other heads of state, among them Tunisian President Kais Saied.

Around the time, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, also weighed in on Meloni's presence at the summit, lauding her leadership and underscoring her appeal back home in Italy. Trump jokingly said to her (via New York Post):

"I'm not normally allowed to say it because usually it's the end of your political career if you say it. She's a beautiful young woman!... Now if you use the word beautiful in the United States about a woman, that's the end of your political career, but I'll take my chances!... Where is she? There she is. You don't mind being called beautiful, right? Because you are... She wanted to be here and she's incredible and they really respect her in Italy. She's a very successful, very successful politician."

After becoming the first female prime minister of Italy in October 2022, Meloni has developed an excellent international network, including with Trump, with whom she is reportedly coordinating EU-U.S. talks on the war in Ukraine.

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