Rome:
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid an unofficial visit to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence on Saturday, becoming the latest foreign leader to be hosted by the US president-elect as he prepares to take office.
Photos sent by the far-right Prime Minister’s Office early Sunday morning showed Meloni and Trump posing at the entrance to Mar-a-Lago and chatting in the reception room, with a Christmas tree in the background. was visible.
According to US reporters who were present, President Trump called Meloni a “wonderful woman.”
“She really took Europe and other countries by storm. We’re just going to have dinner tonight,” Trump said.
According to U.S. media, the two were having a meal while watching “Eastman’s Dilemma: Law or Justice,” a documentary film about a lawyer accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election results in Trump’s favor. I watched it.
A photo of the two conservative leaders side by side appeared on the front pages of all Italian newspapers on Sunday.
Meloni is one of several foreign leaders to visit Trump before he took office, including Canada’s Justin Trudeau and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
President Trump’s pledge to impose heavy import tariffs has sparked a scramble among traditional economic allies, including Europe, to plan for the potential negative impact on trade.
Meanwhile, billionaire Elon Musk, one of President Trump’s top advisers, used social and traditional media to slam the ruling governments of Germany and the United Kingdom.
His comments are already making waves in Europe. On the same day that Meloni visited Trump, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized Musk’s “insane” comments and overt support for the far-right party AfD.
The visit by Meloni, leader of the far-right Italian Brotherhood party, comes ahead of a four-day visit to Rome by US President Joe Biden, who is expected to meet with Meloni and separately with Pope Francis. are.
According to U.S. media coverage of the event, President Trump’s incoming national security adviser Mike Walz and his nominee for secretary of state, Sen. Marco Rubio, were also in attendance.
Trump’s and Meloni’s offices did not respond to requests for comment about the trip.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
