Sergio Mattarella said Italy “can take care” of itself after Mr. Musk criticized judges who did not approve a government request to hold a group of migrants in Albania.

Italy's president has sharply rebuked Elon Musk. President Sergio Mattarella issued an unusually piqued statement on Wednesday following Musk's weighing in on Italian court rulings that have stymied the government’s plans to process some asylum-seekers in Albania.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella scolded SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk over the latter’s comments regarding Italian court rulings that have impeded the workings of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ’s 2023 agreement with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to process asylum-seekers.