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, because he had “taken Europe by storm” during a dinner on Saturday evening. Meloni was elected in 2022 after pursuing a conservative pro-family, anti-immigration agenda, which many in the media labeled “far-right.”
Meloni is the first female Italian prime minister and has been leader of the Brothers of Italy party since 2014. Both she and her party have soared in popularity thanks to the response to the Italian government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meloni’s coalition government is probably the closest ideological ally Trump has within the European Union. Meloni has also developed a close bond with top Trump ally Elon Musk, who has been visiting Mar-a-Lago since Election Day.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addresses the media together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (not pictured) after their meeting at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy, on October 10, 2024. (Massimo Valicchia/Nur Photo via Getty Images)
Like the US, Italy faces a major problem with illegal immigration, with migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to their shores. Meloni’s “return hubs” policy ensures that migrants are not released to Italy during their asylum process, a program she says has become a “model” for Europe.
“It is a new, courageous and unprecedented path, but one that perfectly reflects the European spirit,” she said of the program in October.
Meloni has also proven to go against the grain on social issues, taking action last year to restrict parental rights for same-sex couples. The policy ensures that only the biological parent of a child in a same-sex marriage has full parental rights.
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Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc and CEO of 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 extremely stable compared to Italy’s recent history. She has avoided infighting within her party and opposition leaders have failed to rally around a candidate to effectively challenge her.
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All this puts Meloni in a natural position to serve as a go-between for the Trump administration and the European Union over 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 will travel to Rome later this week to meet with Meloni and then Pope Francis. The White House said Biden’s meeting with Meloni will “highlight the strength of the US-Italy relationship” and that the president will thank the prime minister “for her strong leadership of the G7 over the past year.”
