Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Le elezioni di metà mandato del Congresso saranno le più folli degli ultimi 20 anni. A sostenerlo in un’intervista all’Adnkronos è Michael Rulli, deputato repubblicano dell’Ohio di origini italo-americane, che non si dice convinto dei sondaggi che anticipano un possibile tsunami democratico. Secondo il congressman, la situazione potrebbe essere ben diversa e i pronostici potrebbero essere sbagliati.
“Molti esperti parlano di una grandissima ‘ondata blu’. Io non ne sono convinto”, sottolinea. E per quanto riguarda la premier Giorgia Meloni, il repubblicano afferma: “Scrivetelo pure. Il deputato Rulli adora Meloni”.
Congressman Rulli, let's start with what you expect from your seat's confirmation?
“Le mie elezioni si giocano solitamente durante le primarie, dato che il seggio che occupo è fortemente repubblicano.
In passato, per sei anni, sono stato senatore statale in Ohio, in un collegio che tendeva leggermente verso i Democratici; era un distretto molto moderato, che favoriva persino lo schieramento Democratico. Oggi, invece, mi trovo in un distretto a fortissima impronta repubblicana – classificato come “R+28” – che rientra tra i 15 collegi più repubblicani del Paese.
Di conseguenza, la vera sfida elettorale per me è sempre quella delle primarie, che sono davvero durissime, mentre le elezioni generali risultano molto più agevoli. Così, dopo aver condotto la mia campagna elettorale, dedico tutto il tempo che mi resta ad aiutare i miei amici al Congresso a farsi eleggere”.
Ohio is usually a crucial state in every election. How do you see the situation?
"I'm trying to help John Husted (the current junior state senator, ed.) win, and I think he has a very good chance. Sure, we're a little worried about Vivek Ramaswamy, but I also have friends in Congress I'm supporting, like Mike Turner and Mike Carey."
Moving beyond Ohio: the entire House of Representatives is at stake. What scenario do you envision?
Many experts are talking about a huge 'blue wave.' I'm not convinced. I don't think this big blue wave will arrive. We'll try, we'll fight tooth and nail to maintain control of the House. We're fighting for every single seat. But it's a battle. We'll do everything we can to maintain our majority in the House, even if, if we succeed, it will be by a slim margin, perhaps one or two seats. On the other hand, the Democrats could win; but if they were to win by only four or five seats, we'd find ourselves in the same situation we experienced when we won: a majority so slim that it would make it extremely difficult to pass any legislation.
Speaking of polls: they no longer seem as reliable as they once were, especially when it comes to the Republican vote, and they've often proven wrong. Do you think the scenario could be the same here?
It's well known that these polls are a bit of a game, and I think many of them are wrong. But how wrong are they? That's the question. How wrong are these polls? Are they wrong enough to allow us to keep the House? Or are they just slightly off, enough to make us lose the House by a hair's breadth? Or, for some reason, are the polls right and a 'blue wave' is indeed looming? In my opinion, the polls were wrong. They were wrong last time. How wrong will they be this time? Because, according to the polls, the situation for us looks really dire.
A few weeks ago, President Donald Trump said his relationship with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was very good. Do you think the relationship has recovered after the last few months of friction?
"This is my opinion: I believe some malicious actors didn't like this relationship, because the President let the whole world know that the Prime Minister was his best friend and that, if you wanted access—and this is an important point—to the Trump administration, you had to go through Meloni. Italy was, in effect, a key player in accessing our administration. What does all this mean? It means that relations between Italy and the United States were experiencing their best moment since the postwar period."
But then a problem arose. What happened?
In the spring, Trump could boast two consecutive months without any illegal border crossings. And he was rightly proud of it. At a certain point, however, the Vatican intervened. Let me be clear: I love the Vatican; I am a devout Catholic. The Vatican released a statement in which the Pope stated that 'people always come before borders and institutions.' Of course, he is the Pope: it's normal for him to say something like that; it's part of his role. However, the statement was released just as Trump was celebrating this milestone. So, suddenly, the press around the world started saying: 'There's a problem between the Pope and the President.' So they immediately turned to Giorgia Meloni and said: 'The Pope and the President are arguing. You have to choose which side you're on.' Well, since she's the Italian Prime Minister, it's obvious she'll choose the Pope, right? There was someone in the Vatican who wanted to create a rift. They tried to create a division, and they even obstructed our conference in Miami, where we were supposed to be holding a conference. All the deals were signed. In the end, common sense prevailed. Marco Rubio, JD Vance, and I said, 'Well, let's get back to work.' All the trade deals that were supposed to be signed in Miami were signed. And, as I said when it happened, many said, 'They'll never make peace.' Yet, Elon Musk and Trump said terrible things to each other and then made peace; now they're best friends. The same will happen with Prime Minister Meloni: she'll be our absolute best friend again. Mark my words: I'll do everything in my power to make that happen."
What do you think of the issues the United States is facing? I'm referring, for example, to rising prices and the war in Iran. Do you think this could influence the elections?
“The answer is both. Both. So, war does indeed impact fuel prices. I understand those who are against war; I don't like conflict either. However, the Persian people, the Iranian people, are wonderful, wonderful people. The regime that has held Iran hostage for 50 years is made up of the most barbaric individuals on earth and, in my humble opinion, is the only actor that would actually use a nuclear weapon against someone. If we look at China, there is no problem. Russia manages its nuclear arsenal responsibly, as do the United States or even Pakistan: to possess nuclear weapons, you have to remain calm. The Iranian regime, on the other hand, can never be trusted with a nuclear weapon. That said, this is precisely the main cause of the high cost of oil and fuel. Now, we intend to extract crude oil from Venezuela and Argentina. At the moment it is a couple of hundred thousand barrels, but once the infrastructure is completed in Over the next year, we will be able to produce well over a million—if not two million—barrels per day from these areas. Therefore, within a year, we will release an additional 2 million barrels to the global market, which will lead to lower prices.”
To return to the initial question: will this increase in diesel and gasoline prices harm the Republican Party?
"We'll find out in four days." (by Iacopo Luzi)
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