Italy’s right-wing leader Meloni positions herself as Trump’s ally in Europe

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, meeting incoming President Donald Trump for the second time since he won the U.S. election in November.

During the meeting in Florida, Trump described Meloni as a “fantastic woman… she’s really taken Europe by storm” in a briefing with reporters.

Meloni, meanwhile, posted on X that she’d had a “nice evening” with Trump, adding that she was “ready to work together,” according to a Google translation of her post.

She had previously spoken with the president-elect on the sidelines of the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris in early December.

The mutual admiration means Meloni is well-placed to position herself as Trump’s key ally in Europe. Her trans-Atlanic efforts come at a complicated time for other European heavyweights Germany and France, whose leaders are struggling with domestic political challenges and have both faced criticism from Trump.

Meloni has a number of reasons to court the incoming administration, not least Trump’s tariff threat to Europe. During his reelection campaign, the former president threatened to impose a 10% tariff on all goods imported to the U.S. — the European Union’s largest trading partner in terms of exports.

For Italy, the cost could be significant.  

A study by European risk analysis firm Prometeia calculated that 10% duties on imports could cost the Italian economy up to $7 billion, as the U.S. is the country’s second-largest export market after Germany. Caixabank analysts put Italy’s exposure to the U.S. at around 4% of GDP, just behind Germany at 5%.

Alongside her meetings with Trump, Meloni has also been cultivating ties with Elon Musk, the Tesla boss who is expected to play a key role in Trump’s new administration. In an interview with Italian news outlet Corriere della Sera, she described him as a “great figure of our times,” adding he is a “genius” and wrongly portrayed as a “monster.”