US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that he would “100%” secure a tariffs agreement with the European Union, as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni engaged in a diplomatic outreach at the White House.
Positioning herself as the sole European capable of soothing President Trump’s trade tensions with Europe, Ms. Meloni emphasized her shared conservative values with the US leader.
“My objective is to restore greatness to the West, and I’m convinced we can achieve this together,” she stated to reporters in the Oval Office, underscoring their common perspectives on immigration and “woke ideology.”
Ms. Meloni announced that President Trump had accepted an invitation to visit Rome in the “near future,” and he may also meet with European leaders during his trip.
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“A trade agreement will definitely happen, 100%,” President Trump declared during an earlier working lunch with Ms. Meloni, who expressed her confidence in reaching a consensus.
However, signaling the potential hurdles ahead, President Trump remarked that he was in “no rush,” and that Ms. Meloni had not swayed his opinions on his overall tariff strategy.
“Everyone is eager to make a deal — if they don’t want to, we’ll go ahead and make the deal for them,” President Trump added.
Ms. Meloni was the sole European leader to be invited to President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, and US officials noted her alignment with the president on numerous issues, particularly immigration and Ukraine.
President Trump mentioned that Europe must “become much smarter” regarding immigration, revisiting his administration’s frequent criticisms of the EU on this front.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was the only European leader invited to Donald Trump’s Presidential inauguration in January
‘Zero for zero’ formula
Ms. Meloni has previously proposed the aim of eliminating reciprocal duties on existing industrial products as part of a “zero for zero” approach, which was suggested by the European Commission earlier this month.
Reports from Italian newspapers indicated that one of the objectives of Meloni’s visit was to facilitate a meeting between President Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Her decision to personally engage with Mr. Trump has raised concerns among EU allies, who worry that her visit might fracture the unity of the bloc.
“If we commence bilateral discussions, it could clearly disrupt the current dynamic,” warned France’s Industry Minister Marc Ferracci last week.
A spokesperson for the European Commission stated that while the EU is solely responsible for negotiating trade agreements, Ms. Meloni’s “outreach is highly appreciated” and was conducted in coordination with Brussels.
After her meeting with Mr. Trump, Ms. Meloni is set to return to Rome tomorrow to host Mr. Vance for a planned meeting.
The tariffs threatened by Mr. Trump could significantly affect Italy, the world’s fourth-largest exporter, which sends approximately ten percent of its exports to the United States.
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