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President-elect Trump will host Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Mar-a-Lago this weekend, suggesting he plans to develop a warmer relationship with one of his closest ideological allies in Europe.
Trump praised Meloni, 47, for having “taken Europe by surprise” during a dinner on Saturday night. Meloni was elected in 2022 after running on a conservative, pro-family and anti-immigration agenda, labeled as “far-right” by many media outlets.
Meloni is Italy’s first female prime minister and has served as leader of the Brothers of Italy party since 2014. She and her party gained popularity thanks to the backlash against the Italian government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meloni’s coalition government is probably Trump’s closest ideological ally within the European Union. Meloni has also developed a close relationship with Trump’s top ally, Elon Musk, who has frequented Mar-a-Lago since Election Day.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addresses the media alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (not pictured) after their meeting at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, October 10, 2024. (Massimo Valicchia/Nur Photo via Getty Images)
Like the United States, Italy faces a significant illegal immigration problem with migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to its shores. Meloni’s “return center” policy ensures that migrants are not released into Italy during their asylum process, a program she says has become a “model” for Europe.
“It is a new, brave and unprecedented path, but one that perfectly reflects the European spirit,” he said of the program in October.
Meloni has also proven to go against the grain on social issues, deciding last year to limit parenting rights for same-sex couples. The policy ensures that only the biological father of a child within a same-sex marriage enjoys full parental rights.
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Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc and CEO of X, speaks at the Atreju political convention organized by Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy), on December 15, 2023, in Rome, Italy. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing political party organized a four-day political festival in the Italian capital. (Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
Meloni’s coalition The government has also proven to be unusually stable compared to Italy’s recent history. She has avoided infighting within her party and opposition leaders have failed to unite around any candidate to effectively challenge her.
All of this puts Meloni in a natural position to serve as an intermediary between the Trump administration and the European Union for the next four years.
Giorgia Meloni showed up unannounced at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence this weekend. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, was also present when Meloni visited Trump’s Florida residence this weekend.
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president biden He is scheduled to travel to Rome later this week to meet with Meloni and then with Pope Francis. The White House said Biden’s meeting with Meloni “will highlight the strength of the relationship between the United States and Italy” and will include the president’s thanks to the prime minister “for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year.”