‘Make West Great Again’: Meloni Meets Trump Over US-EU Trade Deal, President Hails Her As ‘Real Leader’
Shedding concerns of her visit to the US undermining the EU unity, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni mounted a charm offensive.
At the White House on Thursday (local time) to strike an optimistic note about a possible US-EU trade deal, prompting President Donald Trump to state there there will “100% be a trade deal”.
Meloni, who attempted to cast herself as the only European leader who could de-escalate the trade war with the global giant US, said that she was “sure” a trade deal could be struck, and noted that she wanted to “make the West great again.”
Trump Says There Will Be Trade Deal With EU
“There will be a trade deal, 100 percent,” Trump said during the meeting. As the two leaders struck a warm tone during a working lunch and a meeting at the Oval Office, Trump hailed her as “fantastic” and “one of the real leaders of the world”.
“I think Giorgia Meloni is a great Prime Minister. I think she’s doing a fantastic job in Italy… She’s one of the real leaders of the world,” Trump said. With this trip, Meloni became the first European leader to visit Trump since he slapped 20% tariffs on the European Union on April 9. However, he later paused it for 90 days, imposing a 10% baseline tariff on most imports from across the nations.
Meloni pitched the proposal to “sit down and find solutions” to the differences. “Even if we have some problems between the two shores of the Atlantic, it is time that we try to sit down and find solutions,” she said.
Highlighting their shared views on immigration and “woke” ideology, the Italian PM said, “The goal for me is to make the West great again, and I think we can do it together”. Trump, who exuded confidence in reaching an eventual deal with the 27-nation bloc – EU – said that he was “in no rush”.
“Everybody wants to make a deal — and if they don’t want to make a deal, we’ll make the deal for them,” Trump said.
Disquiet Among EU Allies Over Meloni’s US Visit
Meloni’s call to personally engage with Trump by paying a visit to the White House has stirred murmurs and ignited disquiet among the EU allies, who fear that her US trip could undermine bloc unity.
“If we start having bilateral discussions, obviously it will break the current dynamic,” France’s Industry Minister Marc Ferracci warned last week. However, Italian newspapers have reported that paving the way for a meeting between Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was among the agenda of the visit.
Meloni, too, said that Trump has agreed to visit Rome in the “near future” and that he also might meet European leaders there. According to a European Commission spokesperson, while the EU alone could negotiate trade deal with Trump, Meloni’s outreach to the US leader “is very welcome” and was coordinated with Brussels.
Trump’s tariffs could also have a significant impact on Italy, which happens to be the world’s fourth-largest exporter, and which exports nearly 10% of its goods to the US.