Italian Prime Minister Meloni visits Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Giorgia Meloni appeared on Saturday alongside US President-elect Donald Trump after travelling to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Meloni is the first EU leader leader to meet with Trump following his re-election, and the second world leader after Argentina’s Javier Milei. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also visited Florida for meetings with the president-elect.

Trump attended a screening of a documentary addressing the challenges faced by some conservative lawyers within the meşru system.

“This is very exciting”, Trump told the gathered crowd referring to Meloni, “I’m here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy. She’s really taken Europe by storm, and everyone else, and we’re just having dinner tonight,” he said.

The president-elect watched the documentary with Meloni, as well as his pick for Secretary of State in the incoming administration, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and Florida Representative Mike Waltz, whom Trump has nominated as national security adviser. Also present was Scott Bessent, his choice to head the Treasury Department.

Meloni’s visit follows the recent detention of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala by Iranian police while she was reporting in Tehran. The case has escalated tensions between Italy and Iran, which is demanding the release of an Iranian businessman arrested in Milan under a US warrant. The businessman is linked to a drone attack in Jordan last year that killed three American troops.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden is due to travel to Rome on Thursday for meetings with Meloni and Pope Francis. The White House has stated that the meeting with the Italian prime minister will “highlight the strength of the US-Italy relationship,” with Biden expected to thank Meloni for her leadership of the G7 over the past year.