American journalist Maria Bartiromo, a presenter for Fox News, received Italian citizenship for "special merits," according to an announcement made by the government of Giorgia Meloni on September 18, 2025.
The acknowledgment was sent to the Presidency of the Italian Republic, which formalizes these requests, and highlights Bartiromo's role as a "bridge" in relations between Rome and Washington.
The granddaughter of immigrants from the cities of Agrigento and Nocera Inferiore, Bartiromo grew up in the New York borough of Brooklyn, where her family ran the restaurant “Rex Manor”.
The 58-year-old journalist began her career at CNN, moved on to CNBC, and established herself as the main face of Fox News, where she became known for her interviews with key figures in US politics.
In the last years, Giorgia Meloni was interviewed by Bartiromo on two occasions. According to the Italian government, granting her citizenship also represents a tribute to the presenter's Italian origins.
However, the decision carries political weight. Bartiromo is a leading conservative voice in the US and a vocal ally of Donald Trump, including during the episodes of January 6, 2021, in the invasion of the Capitol.
Meloni's gesture can be read as a diplomatic signal of ideological alignment with the American Republican camp, in addition to reinforcing the symbolic link with the Italian-American community.
On his Instagram account, former congressman Luis Roberto Lorenzato wrote:
"A beautiful initiative, but with a fundamental flaw! Maria Bartiromo, being the daughter of Italians, is Italian iure sanguinis — by right of blood. 🏛️
Therefore, treating her as a "naturalized" citizen is tantamount to placing her on the same level as foreigners who acquire citizenship through residency, marriage, or other means. This is a legal and historical distortion.
Maria Bartiromo would never need a naturalization process: formal recognition of her status as an Italian citizen through the registration of her birth in the Italian civil registry would suffice.
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