The US president says the outlook for a trade contract with the EU is “100%” and praises the Italian prime minister as “great.”
US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed optimism about the possibility of tariffs in the US and Europe as the two leaders met in the White House and hit the market with economic uncertainty.
Meloni casts herself as the only European who can escalate Trump’s trade war, and she emphasizes her conservative commonality and declares that she “want to make the West great again.”
“We have 100% trade contracts,” Trump declared Thursday, but Meloni said she was “certain” to be able to reach the deal.
The two leaders threw a warm tone during work lunch and meetings in the oval office. Trump called the 48-year-old Italian leader “fantastic.”
“Meloni’s Bank”
Al Jazeera’s Alan Fischer, reporting from the White House, said that European leaders are “banking in Meloni” and that Bullock’s message to Trump “makes a bit better.”
Meloni was the first European leader to visit Republicans. He has been suspended for 90 days after slapping 20% tariffs on EU exports.
Italian leaders said Trump accepts an invitation to visit Rome “in the near future” and may meet European leaders there.
“Even if there are some issues between the two Atlantic coasts, that’s when we sit down and try to find a solution,” she said.
Meloni emphasized their shared views on the ideology of immigration and “waking up” and said, “For me, the goal is to make the West great again, and I think we can do it together.”
But Trump expressed confidence about his final deal with the 27-nation bloc, accusing him of trying to take advantage of the US, but he said he was “no rush.”
“Everyone wants to trade, and if they don’t want to trade, we do business for them,” Trump added.
Federiga Bindi, a professor at the University of Vergata at the University of Rome, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that Meloni is in a challenging position to please the entire European bloc while balancing the interests of Italian voters.
“I think Meloni is trying to apply lessons from [former Italian Prime Minister Silvio] Berlusconi. He was, as she is today, an outcast of European politics. [Berlusconi] I took advantage of my relationship with George W. Bush,” explained Bindi.
“Berlusconi was able to pull it. I don’t know if Meloni can pull it. [with Trump]. What’s different is that Berlusconi had a real friendship with Bush.
“Be smart”
Trump has repeatedly criticised Europe, saying that he needs to be “smart” with immigration and promote defense spending at NATO.
The Russian war in Ukraine has also remained a delicate subject, with Trump telling Melony that he “is not a huge fan” of Ukraine’s Voldymi Zelenki.
Meloni has been Zelensky’s solid ally since the Russian invasion of the full-scale country in 2022, and has recently called the attack on Moscow’s city of Sam “terrifying.”
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