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Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni touted the possibility of a US-Europe trade deal during the Italian prime minister's visit to Washington. Trump said, "There will be a trade deal, 100%, but it will be a fair deal," while Meloni said she was "sure" they could reach an agreement.
Meloni is the first European leader to visit Washington since Trump imposed, then paused, 20% tariffs on imports from the bloc.
The two enjoy a good relationship and the Italian leader hopes to position herself as a bridge between the EU and the US amid fractured relations and mounting concerns about the global impact of Trump's tariffs.
At a press conference on Thursday following their conversation, the leaders said they had discussed defence spending, immigration and tariffs. The atmosphere in the Oval Office appeared relaxed and good-natured - similar to the reception UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer received during his visit to the White House in February.
However Meloni's aides had described the visit as a "commercial peace mission" following Trump's decision to impose a 10% baseline tariff on almost all foreign imports to the US.
He has strongly criticised the European Union on trade, claiming it was "formed to screw the United States". A 20% "retaliatory" tariff on the EU has been temporarily suspended until July.
Meloni previously called the tariffs "absolutely wrong" and said they would end up damaging the EU "as much as the US".
While she didn't score any tangible wins on tariffs during the meeting, she did convince Trump to accept an invitation to visit Rome, which she said would be an occasion for him to meet other European leaders.
Given the fraught relations between the EU and the US, Meloni will likely chalk that up as a significant win, particularly if Trump agrees to meet the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, during the visit.
Meloni will return to Europe with stronger credentials as the so-called "Trump whisperer", something that will be reinforced when she meets US Vice President JD Vance in Rome tomorrow.
The Italian leader was careful to praise Trump and align herself with the US president's viewpoints.
Following the meeting, she criticized what she called "woke ideology", championed what she termed the "war against illegal migration" and said that her goal was to make the West great again, and that she thought they could do it together.
