US Envoy Tilman Fertitta Hosts Sicilian Officials on $450 Million Yacht as Trump-Meloni Feud Escalates
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 18
US Envoy Tilman Fertitta Hosts Sicilian Officials on $450 Million Yacht as Trump-Meloni Feud Escalates
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 18
Summary
Off Palermo over the July 4 weekend, U.S. Ambassador Tilman J. Fertitta hosted Sicilian dignitaries aboard Boardwalk, his 384-foot, seven-deck superyacht.
The reception unfolded as President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were locked in an unusually sharp public dispute, with Trump posting that he needed a “restraining order” against her.
Fertitta, 69, said from the yacht that he had spoken with both leaders in recent weeks and that “they both make sense to me,” signaling little public alarm over the clash.
The monthslong coastal tour has put the ambassador’s $450 million vessel — equipped with pools, hot tubs, a spa, screening room, putting green, multiple bars and two helicopters — at the center of his diplomacy in Italy.