Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited President-elect Donald J. Trump at his Florida golf club for an informal meeting on Saturday.
The visit to Mar-a-Lago comes just days before Meloni is scheduled to welcome President Biden in Rome for an official visit to Italy and the Vatican from January 9th to 12th.
On Saturday, she appeared at the grand banquet hall. Trump said he had dinner with Meloni, whom he described as a “wonderful woman,” adding: “She really wowed Europe and everyone else,” Pool reported.
They then worked with influential members of the future Trump administration, including Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio and Treasury nominee Scott Bessent, in a film titled “Eastman’s Dilemma: Law or Justice?” I watched the screening.
Meloni and Trump have expressed mutual appreciation in the past, and the visit will be one of the few visits by a foreign leader to the president-elect’s Florida mansion since he took office. The meeting strengthens hopes among Mr. Meloni’s supporters that the conservative Italian prime minister will become Mr. Trump’s reliable ally in Europe.
Much of that role involves mediating tensions between other European leaders and Mr. Trump, who has not only threatened to start a trade war with the continent but also It also suggests reducing U.S. support for Ukraine in its war with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members and Russia.
The topic of Saturday night’s meeting was not clear, but officials expected the two leaders to discuss these issues.
Another possible topic, observers say, is the detention in Iran of prominent Italian journalist Cecilia Sala. The incident comes just days after Italy, at the request of the United States, arrested an Iranian national suspected of supplying drone parts to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Iran routinely detains foreigners and dual nationals and exchanges them for money and talent.
A person briefed on the meeting said Mr. Meloni actively sought the meeting.
He also has a good relationship with Elon Musk, and his supporters hope his international standing will further rise if Trump becomes president.
Since his election, Trump has welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a champion of “illiberal democracy,” and Argentina’s provocative right-wing president Javier Milei to Mar-a-Lago. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau became the first Group of Seven (G7) leader to visit Trump in Florida after the election after he threatened to impose tariffs on Canada.
Maggie Haberman contributed reporting.
