President Donald Trump welcomed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to the White House on Thursday where the two had lunch before settling in for an extended Oval Office discussion on the possibility of the United States reaching a new trade deal with the European Union.
As Meloni arrived at the White House just before noon, her black SUV passing a military honor guard, Trump assured reporters who shouted questions in his direction that he’s “very confident” a trade deal is possible.
A short time later, however, during a brief appearance before the in-town pool of reporters ahead of the lunch, Trump added that the U.S. is in “no rush” to accept just any deal.
“We have something everybody wants,” the president said, suggesting the longer talks over tariffs and other trade impediments go on, the more desperate EU countries will be to capitulate to trade barriers abroad to shore up their access to the massive U.S. market.
In the end, Trump predicted, “We’re going to have very little problem making a deal.”
On April 2, Trump imposed so-called “reciprocal tariffs” on a wide range of goods produced in the EU, set at 20%, and an additional 25% tariff on imports of steel, aluminum and cars from its member countries.
The White House calculated the tariffs based on the trade surplus between EU countries and the United States. In 2024, that surplus — in Europe’s favor — was about $235 billion.
On April 9, the president announced a 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariffs — with the exception of China — to give the United States and its longtime European allies time to negotiate a trade deal.
The president has said that among other things, he would like to see the EU buy more liquefied natural gas from the United States, and to further open its markets to everything from U.S.-made cars to U.S. farm-processed chickens.
In many ways, Meloni is the perfect intermediary between the two sides.
On the one hand, the 48-year-old conservative shares an ideological affinity with the president.
Speaking with reporters at the White House, Meloni said both the United States and Italy are committed to fighting against “woke” ideologies that “would erase our history.”
She also said she and Trump see eye to eye on the goal of making “the West great again.”
Significantly, she was the only European leader to attend his Jan. 20 inauguration.
For his part, Trump called Meloni a “great talent” and “one of the real leaders of the world.”
At the same time, she, like her European counterparts, is staring down the potential impacts of steep U.S. tariffs.
Italy currently has a trade surplus with the United States of about $45 billion, due to Americans’ love of Italian food and wine, its high-end fashion and sleek luxury vehicles.
While she frankly noted that she wasn’t in a position to lock down a trade agreement for the entire EU bloc of 27 nations, Meloni said sitting down to talk and having frank, face-to-face discussions is the only way the situation is going to be resolved.
“I’m here to make the West stronger, and I believe in the unity of the West,” she said. “At the same time, I think we do have to talk and find ourselves the best middle way to grow together.
“That’s why I’m here. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think of the U.S. as a reliable trading partner, and one with which we enjoy a very good relationship,” she said.
After their lunch, Trump and Meloni again took questions from reporters.
Meloni said the two leaders had discussed many “bilateral topics and things we can do together,” in the realm of defense, their respective economies and “space and energy.”
She went on to note that at present Italy is “in a very good situation.”
“Despite the difficulties we’ve experienced in the past, Italy is a stable country, and we’ve added 1 million more jobs in the last two years,” she said. “Now, inflation is going down as well.
“So we are trying to do our best, but I think we can do even better together,” she said.
Meloni said Italy intends to increase its LNG imports as well as the materials it needs to further build out its nuclear energy sector.
At the same time, she said, Italian enterprises are committed to investing about $10 million over the next few years.
“That shows how interconnected our economies are,” she said.
“But it’s not only about Italy,” she quickly added. “It’s about Europe as well. The exchange between us is a very big one … investments, trade. … These are a major focus of what we’re discussing.”
Later, Meloni waxed almost philosophical.
“When I speak of the West, I’m not speaking only about a geographical space. I’m speaking about civilization,” she said in answer to a question. “So I think even if we have some problems between the two shores of the Atlantic, it is time that we sit down and try to find solutions.”
Meloni also said Trump “has accepted an invitation to pay an official visit to Rome in the near future” and that the trip might also be an opportunity to meet with other European leaders.
“As I said, the goal for me is to make the West great again, and I think we can do it together,” she said.
Source: The Well News / Digpu NewsTex