Donald Trump’s admiration for Giorgia Meloni is well-known.
Following their initial encounter in Paris last year, Trump lauded the Italian Prime Minister, describing her as someone he could collaborate with to “straighten out the world.”
After a subsequent meeting at Mar-a-Lago in January, he praised her as a figure who has “really taken Europe by storm.” Notably, she was the sole EU head of government invited to Trump’s inauguration that same month.
This has fueled speculation about her potential role as Europe’s Trump “whisperer.”
Since Trump’s election, Meloni has strategically positioned herself as the European leader closest to him, promoting her ability to act as a “bridge” between the new U.S. administration and Europe.
Her visit to Washington will serve as an initial test of this role, requiring her to navigate a delicate diplomatic path. This significant meeting occurs following Trump’s threats of “reciprocal” tariffs on the EU.
“It’s a sensitive time, we’ll see how things unfold,” she remarked at an event for Italian entrepreneurs on Tuesday morning. “I don’t feel any pressure regarding the next couple of days, as you can imagine,” she added with a hint of irony.
Meloni shares ideological similarities with Trump, particularly concerning issues like immigration, defense, and cultural identity.
While her strong stance against immigration and cultural issues aligns with Trump’s views, she leads a nation deeply intertwined with the EU – an entity formed to compete with the U.S., according to Trump’s perspective.
In recent months, she has refrained from directly criticizing Trump, striving to balance her ideological alignment with Washington and Italy’s strategic position within Europe. This approach reflects Italy’s historical reliance on close ties with the U.S. as a safeguard against potential dominance by other EU members.
Consequently, she has adopted a more accommodating stance compared to some of her European counterparts on certain occasions. She has consistently supported Ukraine and its President, but she avoided condemning the public criticism Volodymyr Zelensky faced at the White House. Instead, she advocated for an immediate summit “between the U.S., European states, and allies to openly discuss our approach to current challenges, particularly Ukraine, which we have jointly defended.”
However, the economic sphere will pose the greatest challenge to Meloni’s balancing act.
Italy is the EU’s third-largest exporter to the U.S., maintaining a trade surplus of nearly €40 billion, surpassed only by Germany and Ireland. Major Italian businesses are concerned, and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has urged Meloni to prioritize Italy’s interests above those of Europe. However, such a move could divide the EU as it attempts to persuade Trump to retract tariffs that threaten Europe’s economy, including Italian exporters.
The EU has proposed a limited tariff agreement on industrial goods to the U.S., similar to discussions held a decade ago during negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, which Trump ultimately rejected during his first term. However, a trade agreement seems unlikely at present.
EU officials are finding it difficult to engage in negotiations with their U.S. counterparts. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is not actively participating in initial tariff discussions, as EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič discovered when attempting to contact top U.S. trade officials in Washington on Monday.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has been trying to contact Trump since he took office, a spokesperson told TIME. She has been in regular contact with Meloni and they have been discussing her White House visit, they added.
Meloni stated in a speech to Italian lawmakers that she doubted “whether it is necessarily wise to respond to tariffs with tariffs.” However, she has generally aligned with the EU on trade matters. For instance, Italy voted to impose retaliatory tariffs in response to subsidies provided to Airbus.
Meloni could offer to increase purchases of liquified natural gas – a proposal previously suggested by Trump – or procure more American arms. With a domestic defense budget of only 1.5% of GDP, Italy lags behind many other NATO members.
Such offers might be enough to bring Trump to the negotiating table with the EU.
In any case, she will have another opportunity to present her case this week. Meloni will return to Rome on Friday to meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance, whose remarks in February were criticized by the EU but welcomed by Meloni.
If Meloni’s pragmatism outweighs her ideological inclinations, and she champions European interests over Italy’s immediate gains, she stands a better chance of achieving positive outcomes from these meetings.
This would benefit both Europe and Italy.
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