President Donald Trump welcomed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Mar-a-Lago on Saturday night, signaling a strong alliance in the making between the U.S. and Italy.
When speaking to reporters about his dinner with Meloni, Trump praised the European leader for having “taken Europe by storm.”
As Fox News reported, Meloni was elected prime minister of Italy in 2022 after running her campaign on a strong conservative, pro-family agenda. Similar to Trump, Meloni was labeled as “far-right” by the European media.
Meloni became the first female prime minister in Italian history. Since 2014, she has led the Brothers of Italy party, according to Fox News which pointed out that Meloni and her party gained prominence as the Italian government faced hefty backlash over its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Fox News indicated, Meloni’s political ideology and government serve as the closest resemblance to that of Trump’s. It has also been noted that Meloni has developed a close relationship with X CEO and tech mogul Elon Musk, who has been seen increasingly hanging with Trump in the aftermath of the 2024 election.
Saturday night’s diner with Trump reaffirms the belief that Meloni and the incoming 47th president will have a strong alliance.
“This is very exciting,” Trump told the crowd, referring to Meloni’s presence, per Fox News.
“I’m here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy,” he added. “She’s really taken Europe by storm, and everyone else, and we’re just having dinner tonight.”
Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State – Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) – was notably present at the dinner with Meloni.
The Italian prime minister made no public comments regarding her meeting with Trump.
As Financial Times reported, Meloni’s visit comes as she deals with the arrest of Italian Journalist Cecilia Sala in Iran.
Sala was arrested in Iran days after Italy detained an Iranian engineer who is wanted in the U.S. for allegedly exporting drone technology used to kill three American soldiers in Jordyn in 2024.
Meloni’s visit to Mar-a-Lago comes after other world leaders have traveled to the lavish property to speak with Trump.
Argentinian President Javier Milei became the first world leader to visit Trump after the 2024 election. Shortly thereafter, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban did the same.
President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to Rome this week and to meet with Meloni and Pope Francis, as Fox News reported.
The White House said that the president’s meeting with the Italian prime minister will “highlight the strength of the U.S.-Italy relationship” and include the president’s gratitude “for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year.”
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