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Meloni joins Trump at Mar-a-Lago — with Europe’s economy on the line

​U.S. President-elect Donald Trump meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. January 4, 2025.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. January 4, 2025.

Italian Government/Handout via REUTERS
Matthew Kendrick
By Matthew KendrickJanuary 05, 2025
Matthew Kendrick
Matthew Kendrick is an Emmy-nominated journalist and formerly wrote about global affairs for GZERO Media. He speaks fluent Spanish with a mild Chilean accent thanks to growing up in the Atacama, advanced Mandarin thanks to his time in Harbin, and basic Korean thanks to his Fulbright award. Prior to GZERO, Matt was a producer for CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS. When he's not reporting and writing, you can catch him doing yoga, struggling to teach himself Turkish, or (most likely) napping with his two cats.
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President-elect Donald Trump was full of praise for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during her surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, calling her a “fantastic woman” who has “really taken Europe by storm.” The two caught a screening of a right-wing documentary and then had dinner. Meloni has a lot riding on making a good impression as Trump has threatened tariffs that would severely hamper Europe’s economic growth.

Neither side released details of what they discussed, but Meloni has been on a charm offensive since Trump won the US election. She also met with Trump at the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral last month in Paris and has worked hard to establish a close relationship with key Trump ally Elon Musk. She has called Musk a personal “friend” and a “genius” who’s been wrongly maligned for supporting Trump – Musk even had to deny the two were in a romantic relationship in September.

The personal is political. Meloni has set herself up as a unique bridge between Brussels and Trumpworld, putting her in the driver’s seat as the European Union prepares to negotiate to buy more oil and gas from the United States, without which Trump has threatened “TARIFFS all the way!!!”

The problem? Europe already buys a ton of US hydrocarbons, so much so that industry experts don’t think the bloc can import more. We’re watching for other European leaders to give Meloni broad deference on her preferred migration policies so long as she can continue to play Trump-whisperer.

us-canadatariffseuropean unioneconomyunited statesoil and gaspoliticseuropeitalytrumpgiorgia meloni

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