Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump hit an optimistic note about a possible US-EU tariffs deal on Thursday as the far-right leader mounted a charm offensive at the White House, highlighting the pair's conservative common ground and declaring she wanted to "make the West great again".
Meloni – the first EU leader to visit the US president since his imposition of 20 percent tariffs on the bloc – and Trump shared a working lunch and a private meeting in the Oval Office.
Their mutual admiration was palpable, with Trump hailing the Italian leader as “fantastic,” while Meloni highlighted their shared views on immigration and "woke" ideology, even adopting Trump's turn of phrase and declaring her desire to “make the West great again”.
Trade deal 'optimism'
At the heart of their dialogue, however, was the thorny issue of trade. Trump, who has temporarily suspended steep tariffs on EU exports for 90 days, expressed optimism about a potential deal.
“There will be a trade deal, 100 percent,” he declared. Meloni was equally confident, saying she was “sure” an agreement could be reached.
The Italian leader also used the occasion to cast herself as the only European leader capable of de-escalating Trump’s confrontational stance toward Brussels.
With Trump opining that the EU needs to “get smart” on defence and migration and threatening to force a trade agreement if none is forthcoming, Meloni’s role as a conciliatory mediator has become increasingly strategic.
She said Trump had accepted an invitation to visit Rome in the "near future" and that he might also meet European leaders there.
"Even if we have some problems between the two shores of the Atlantic, it is the time that we try to sit down and find solutions," she added.
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Italian media have reported that one of Meloni’s key aims was to pave the way for a potential meeting between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Yet, her solo approach has unsettled some EU allies. France’s Industry Minister, Marc Ferracci, warned that unilateral overtures could “break the current dynamic” within the bloc.
However, the European Commission called her outreach to Trump “very welcome” and said it was coordinated with Brussels.
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Domestic interests
For Meloni, the visit also served domestic interests. With Italy the EU’s fourth-largest exporter – sending around 10 percent of its exports to the US – the stakes are high.
Trump’s threatened tariffs could seriously impact Italian industry, making Meloni’s personal diplomacy all the more critical.
Following her Washington visit, the Italian prime minister returned to Rome on Friday to meet with US Vice President JD Vance, further cementing Italy’s role as a transatlantic conduit.
Vance, a convert to Catholicism, plans to attend Easter weekend events at the Vatican and will also meet Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state.
No meeting with Pope Francis has been announced. The 88-year-old pope has drastically cut down his work schedule as he recovers from a near-fatal case of double pneumonia.
Francis and Vance have tangled sharply over migration and the Trump administration’s plans to deport migrants en masse.
Just days before he was hospitalised, the Pope blasted the US administration’s deportation plans, warning that they would deprive migrants of their inherent dignity. In a letter to US bishops, Francis also apparently responded to Vance directly for having claimed that Catholic doctrine justified such policies.
(with AFP)
