Italy’s Meloni makes surprise visit to see Trump in Florida
Rome: Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made a whirlwind visit to Donald Trump at his Florida retreat on Saturday, as European leaders attempt to bolster ties with the incoming United States president.
Meloni flew to Palm Beach to spend a few hours with Trump ahead of his inauguration on January 20. Trump called her “a fantastic woman” who “had taken Europe by storm.”
Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party posted a picture with Trump’s comments on X, adding “We are critical players once again.”
The unannounced visit to Florida came ahead of Meloni’s planned talks with President Joe Biden this week in Rome, the last international trip of Biden’s presidency.
Observers expected Meloni and Trump to talk about Ukraine, potential U.S. tariffs on European companies and the Middle East. Meloni is above all keen to find a quick solution to the detention of an Italian journalist in Iran.
The journalist, Cecilia Sala, was arrested in Tehran after Italian police detained an Iranian wanted by the Americans, Mohammad Abedini-Najafabad. If the U.S. were to drop the extradition request or make other concessions to Iran it would facilitate Sala’s release, which would be a big win for Meloni at home.
According to media reports, Trump and Meloni met for 90 minutes before viewing a screening of a documentary questioning the criminal investigations faced by John Eastman, Trump’s former lawyer.
Trump told the gathered members of his Mar-a-Lago crowd: “This is very exciting. I’m here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy,” according to the reports.
“She’s really taken Europe by storm,” Trump reportedly said.
The visit will add to the hopes of Meloni’s supporters that she could become Trump’s main interlocutor in Europe, despite Meloni’s alignment with the Biden administration on Ukraine. The two met in Paris last month at the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Meloni also has a good relationship with Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who is a close ally of Trump.
