By Emma Bubola
On Saturday, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with President-elect Donald Trump at his golf club in Florida for a casual gathering.
Her visit to Mar-a-Lago came just days before she is scheduled to host President Joe Biden for an official trip to Italy and the Vatican from Thursday until Jan. 12.
During her appearance in the opulent ballroom, Trump reportedly mentioned that he was dining with Meloni, whom he referred to as “a fantastic woman,” adding, “She has really taken Europe by storm and more.”
Alongside some prospective future members of Trump’s administration — including Marco Rubio, the secretary of state nominee, and Scott Bessent, the Treasury nominee — they then enjoyed a screening of the film “The Eastman Dilemma: Lawfare or Justice.”
Meloni and Trump have shown mutual admiration previously, and her visit marks one of the initial foreign leader visits to the president-elect’s Florida estate since his November election. The meeting strengthens the aspirations of Meloni’s backers who hope she will serve as Trump’s primary ally in Europe.
This role would likely involve mediating frictions between Trump and other European leaders, especially as he has threatened to instigate a trade war with Europe and to lessen U.S. support for certain NATO nations and for Ukraine amidst its conflict with Russia.
The specifics of their discussion remained unclear Saturday evening, though watchers anticipated they would cover these pressing topics.
Another potential discussion point mentioned by observers was the detention of notable Italian journalist Cecilia Sala in Iran. This incident followed Italy’s arrest of an Iranian at the United States’ request, who was suspected of supplying drone parts to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Iran often detains foreign individuals and dual nationals for leverage in exchanges.
One source familiar with the meeting indicated that Meloni had been quite assertive about addressing this issue.
Additionally, she enjoys a favorable connection with Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual and a close advisor to the president-elect, which her advocates believe will enhance her international presence once Trump assumes the presidency.
Since his election, Trump has received various leaders at Mar-a-Lago, including Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, known for “illiberal democracy,” and Argentina’s outspoken right-wing president, Javier Milei. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada was the first Group of 7 leader to visit Trump in Florida since the election, following a threat concerning tariffs on Canada.
